الفهرس 
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Abstract
Summary
Atrial fibrillation is a supraventricular arrhythmia
characterized by disorganized atrial depolarisations without
effective atrial contractions. It occurs in patients with
cardiac disorders as well as in patients with no apparent
cardiac abnormalities (lone AF). It is due to an abnormality
of the electrical signalling pathway .Therapeutic options in
AF include unstable patients requiring immediate DC
cardioversion, rhythm control and rate control for AF.
Every patient with AF should be evaluated for the need of
antithrombotic therapy to prevent systemic embolization.
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside
a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through
the circulatory system. Thromboembolism is the
combination of thrombosis and its main complication,
embolism . The most common cause of arterial occlusion
is atrial fibrillation, which causes a blood stasis within the
atria with easy thrombus formation.
On the other hand, cardiomyopathy refers to diseases
of the heart muscle. The main types of cardiomyopathy are:
dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,
restrictive cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right
ventricular dysplasia. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy occurs
if heart muscle cells enlarge and cause the walls of the
ventricles (usually the left ventricle) to thicken.
In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, atrial
fibrillation is the most common clinical complication, with
a prevalence exceeding 20%. The occurrence of AF
represents a turning point in the clinical course of the
disease, in which it is generally associated with
deterioration of clinical status, functional capacity, quality
of life, and long-term outcome .The mechanisms that
predispose HCM patients to develop AF are variable and
include genetic factors, structural abnormalities, as well as
prolonged and impaired atrial conduction due to atrial
myopathy. Predictors of AF in HCM include left atrial
diameter, volume and function, age, and NYHA class.
Systemic embolic events and stroke are known to
occur as complications of HCM. The profound
complications of HCM, which may lead to disability and
death, were substantially more common in the elderly,
occurred almost exclusively in patients with paroxysmal or
chronic atrial fibrillation and appeared to be reduced in
frequency by anticoagulation.