[Cardiac arrhythmias in patients with chronic alcoholism during abstinence]

A study was undertaken to examine 25 chronic alcoholics in abstinence. A 24-hour monitoring was performed during and extra this state. Chest x-ray study, bicycle ergometry, ultrasonic study of the heart, transesophageal pacing and blood thyroid hormone levels were applied to exclude other causes of cardiac arrhythmias. In alcoholic abstinence, various cardiac arrhythmias appeared as ventricular premature beats (including those of high grade), supraventricular premature beats, supraventricular tachycardias and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were recorded in all 25 patients. When the abstinence was absent, no cardiac arrhythmias were found in 11 (44%) patients, in 14 (56%) patients who had various arrhythmias, their frequency and number of attacks significantly being lower.