title: Peripheral artery disease and atrial fibrillation: a potentially dangerous combination.
abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is commonly associated with a significant increase in stroke and thromboembolic risk. Many patients with AF have associated atherothrombosis given the many risk factors for atherosclerosis that also predispose to AF. Vascular disease, whether peripheral artery disease or myocardial infarction, contributes to the increased risk of stroke and thromboembolism, and has been included in stroke risk assessment schema. This review analyzes the interplay between AF and peripheral artery disease in relation to their associated pathophysiology, as well as epidemiological data linking both conditions and the associated thromboembolic complications conferred by the presence of both.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di I Clinica Medica, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy. francesco.violi@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Violi
authors.forename: Gregory Y H
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Lip
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basili
mesh_terms: D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents