Holiday heart syndrome: an upcoming tachyarrhythmia in today's youth?

Nathalie Noessler1, Sabrina Schweintzger1, Stefan Kurath-Koller1

  • 1Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.

Cardiology in the Young
|February 9, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Isolated atrial fibrillation is rare in children. This report details a rare case of adolescent atrial fibrillation caused by alcohol consumption, a less common trigger in this age group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in adults.
  • Isolated AF in pediatric populations is infrequently reported.
  • Known causes in children include post-operative complications and congenital heart disease (CHD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report a rare case of isolated atrial fibrillation in an adolescent.
  • To highlight alcohol consumption as an unusual etiology for AF in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • Case report presentation.
  • Review of relevant medical literature.

Main Results:

  • The patient, an adolescent, presented with symptoms of atrial fibrillation.
  • Alcohol consumption was identified as the likely trigger for the arrhythmia.
  • This represents a rare instance of alcohol-induced AF in a pediatric individual.

Conclusions:

  • Alcohol consumption should be considered as a potential, albeit rare, cause of atrial fibrillation in adolescents.
  • Further investigation into substance use may be warranted in pediatric patients presenting with unexplained arrhythmias.

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