Peripheral arterial disease in patients with atrial fibrillation: The Atrial Fibrillation Follow-Up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) study.

Atrial fibrillation and peripheral arterial disease are two conditions associated with high risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications and mortality.1–5 There is evidence that coexistence of both these clinical conditions can result to an additive risk of adverse events.6 Indeed, atherosclerotic vascular disease has been linked with stroke, thromboembolism and death in subjects with atrial fibrillation and has been therefore included as one of the components of risk scores, such as the CHA2DS2-VASc score (Congestive Heart failure, Hypertension Age> 75 years, DM, Stroke, Vascular disease) in order to stratify risk in atrial fibrillation patients.