Heavy drinking linked to atrial fibrillation

13/09/05 A large-scale study has found that heavy alcohol consumption – 35 or more drinks per week -- can significantly increase men’s risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a dangerous type of arrhythmia and one of the leading risk factors for stroke.

A large-scale study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found that heavy alcohol consumption – 35 or more drinks per week -- can significantly increase men’s risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a dangerous type of arrhythmia and one of the leading risk factors for stroke.

Reported in the September 13, 2005 issue of Circulation, the findings – which showed that risk of this rapid, irregular heartbeat was as much as 45 percent higher among heavy drinkers than abstainers—also support the existence of what has come to be known as “holiday heart syndrome.”

Atrial fibrillation develops when muscles in the heart’s upper chambers contract too quickly, resulting in an ineffective, irregular heartbeat. As a result, blood is not adequately pumped from the heart, and may pool and form clots. Blood clots that travel to the brain result in a stroke, and, indeed, statistics show that having atrial fibrillation results in a nearly five-fold increase in a person’s stroke risk.

This study was funded by the National Board of Health, the Ministry for the Interior and Health, the Health Insurance Foundation, and the Danish Heart Foundation, all of Denmark.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/514418/