Brief Review: Atrial Fibrillation in Hyperthyroidism Increases Propensity to Stroke

Abstract

Context: Deregulations of the bodily systems increase the predisposition to cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs). Thyroid hormone deregulations lead to an observed increase in predisposing such patients to stroke. Evidence Acquisition: Online literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane as databases. Results: Increase in thyroid hormone level affects the cardiovascular system by increasing the density of beta-adrenergic receptors on cardiomyocytes. The highest post diagnosis risk in hyperthyroidism has been reported for atrial fibrillation and arterial embolism, which increases the risk of ischemic and nonischemic stroke. Atrial fibrillation has thromboembolic stroke as one of the feared outcomes. Conclusions: Preexisting literature has considerable evidence of increased risk of CVDs in patients with hyperthyroidism and atrial fibrillation together, compared with patients who have either of these diseases.