title: Relationship between CHADS2 score and complex aortic plaques by transesophageal echocardiography in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.
abstract: The CHADS2 score is widely used for risk stratification of thromboembolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Although the correlation of CHADS2 score with left atrial (LA) abnormality as detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been reported in previous studies, the relationship between CHADS2 score and complex aortic plaque, which is also a significant risk factor for thromboembolism, has not been fully investigated. We assessed aortic plaques by TEE in 150 patients age ≥ 55 y with NVAF. The prevalence of complex aortic plaques increased along with increases in CHADS2 score (p = 0.001). In a multivariate analysis that included atherosclerotic risk factors and LA abnormality, a CHADS2 score ≥2 was independently associated with the presence of complex aortic plaques (odds ratio [OR] 3.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-8.90). A high CHADS2 score is closely associated with the presence of complex aortic plaques, which explains, in part, the increased risk of thromboembolism in NVAF patients with high CHADS2 score.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: k-sugioka@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugioka
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Suwako
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Asahiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hanatani
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naruko
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshiyama
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015897:Comorbidity; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: Aortic plaques; Atrial fibrillation; CHADS(2) score; Transesophageal echocardiography