Effects of sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors on stroke development in Lebanese patients with atrial fibrillation: a cross-sectional study

Background: Non-communicable diseases, the major cause of death and disability, are susceptible to modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke by 4 to 5 times and can lead to cardiovascular mortality. This study was conducted to assess the effects of different sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors on stroke development in patients with AF. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and June 2018 on patients recruited from Lebanese community pharmacies. The CHA2DS2-VASc scoring system is utilized as a stroke risk stratification tool in AF patients. Participants with a previous physician diagnosis of AF, documented on medical records, were included in this study. Data was collected through a survey that was distributed to all eligible patients. Results: A total of 524 patients were enrolled in the study with a mean age (± SD) of 58.75 ± 13.59 years with hypertension (78.4%) being the most predominant disease. The results showed that obesity (Beta=0.61, p-value =0.011), retirement and unemployment compared to employment (Beta=1.44 and 1.44, p-value=0.001 respectively), divorced/widow compared to married (Beta=1.38, p-value =0.001) were significantly associated with higher CHA2DS2-VASc scores whereas high versus low socio-economic status (Beta=-1.03, p=0.009) and high school education versus primary education level (Beta=-0.49, p-value=0.025) were significantly associated with lower CHA2DS2-VASc scores. Conclusions: The study highlights that the CHA2DS2-VASc score is affected by the presence of various sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics in patients with AF. Thus, screening for those factors may predict the progression of cardiovascular disease and may provide an optimal intervention.