lone a-fib and stroke risk

I have had lone A-Fib for approximately 6 yrs and I have also had a radio frequency ablation. I still have A-Fib! I can tell when it starts and stops but upon wearing a monitor it seems I also have runs that are mere seconds long occuring randomly. My question is this, do these tiny runs of A-Fib increase my risk for stroke or is this only if they are sustained for long periods? Thank you

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

There was a studied published recently that showed that people with paroxysmal atrial fib have the same risk for stroke as people with chronic atrial fib.  They did not define how long the runs had to be in order to be considered a risk.  At this point, I would assume that if you have atrial fibrillation whether it is paroxysmal or chonic, you are at risk and should take the appropriate anti coagulation recommended by your doctor.

I hope this helps.