title: Global left atrial strain correlates with CHADS2 risk score in patients with atrial fibrillation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the association between echocardiographic parameters and CHADS2 score in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-seven subjects (36 patients with AF, 41 control subjects) underwent standard two-dimensional, Doppler, and speckle-tracking echocardiography to compute regional and global left atrial (LA) strain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Global longitudinal LA strain was reduced in patients with AF compared with controls (P < .001) and was a predictor of high risk for thromboembolism (CHADS2 score ≥ 2; odds ratio, 0.86; P = .02). LA strain indexes showed good interobserver and intraobserver variability. In sequential Cox models, the prediction of hospitalization and/or death was improved by addition of global LA strain and indexed LA volume to CHADS2 score (P = .003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LA strain is a reproducible marker of dynamic LA function and a predictor of stroke risk and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with AF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Cardiac and Vascular Sciences, Sundsvall Hospital and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Samir K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Paula L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caracciolo
authors.forename: Anatoli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiotsekoglou
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilansky
authors.forename: Satish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Govind
authors.forename: Naoyo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Partho P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Sengupta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016279:Atrial Function, Left; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014463:Ultrasonography