Cognitive impairment in patients with atrial fibrillation: What is the importance of anticoagulant therapy?

Atrial fibrillation represents one of the most significant aging markers and its prevalence increases with age, reaching 11.1% in men and 9.1% in women aged over 85 years. Fragility is nowadays defined according to two different phenotypes: the biologic-physiologic phenotype developed by L. Fried and Baltimora School and the clinic-multidimensional phenotype, proposed by Rockwood and Halifax School. If the clinical characteristics of elder patients hospitalized in acute geriatric unit care are considered, differences appear in the clinical features, in co-morbidity, in therapy and prognosis