ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH STROKE: PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Abstract

The Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) represents a cerebrovascular disease of sudden and rapid onset in which neurological dysfunction occurs due to the interruption of blood flow to the brain, an organ of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Associated risk factors are: sedentary lifestyle, alcoholism, use of oral contraceptives, male gender, obesity, smoking, older age groups, dyslipidemia, systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. In Brazil, stroke is the main cause of death and of disability, impairing people's quality of life in the functional, social and work areas. The CVA as an emergency has as initial care still in the pre-hospital phase, since time is an essential factor to guide the medical conduct, and the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU) plays a fundamental role for the agile and efficient care. patient effectiveness in Brazil.With regard to cardiogenic causes, the main one is atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common supraventricular arrhythmia in clinical practice, which consists of a disorganization of atrial electrical activity, with the effect of loss of the atrium's ability to contract, atrial systole does not occur. Several pathophysiological alterations lead to the occurrence of fibrillation, including hemodynamic, electrophysiological, structural, and autonomic factors (modulators), in addition to triggering factors represented by extrasystoles and atrial tachycardia. The diagnosis of AF includes, in addition to complementary tests, clinical history and physical examination.