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Published on: February 26, 2013
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Acute Consumption of Alcohol and Discrete Atrial Fibrillation Events
Gregory M Marcus1, Eric Vittinghoff1, Isaac R Whitman2
1University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California (G.M.M., E.V., S.J., V.Y., G.N., E.P.G., J.D.M., R.J.L., B.K.L., Z.H.T., V.V., J.E.O., M.M.S., H.H., R.G., S.F., E.L., C.F., K.O., R.F., J.A.H.).
Annals of Internal Medicine
|August 30, 2021
Summary
Acute alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes. Even one drink raises AF odds, with more alcohol leading to higher probabilities of an event.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Clinical Electrophysiology
- Alcohol Research
Background:
- Patient self-reports indicate a link between acute alcohol intake and atrial fibrillation (AF) events.
- Objective data is needed to confirm if alcohol consumption elevates the risk of AF episodes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively determine the association between alcohol consumption and the occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, case-crossover study involving 100 patients with paroxysmal AF.
- Continuous ECG monitoring and transdermal ethanol sensing were used for 4 weeks, with self-reported alcohol intake.
- Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) blood tests corroborated drinking event data.
Main Results:
- 56% of participants experienced at least one AF episode.
- An AF episode was linked to a 2-fold increased odds of consuming one alcoholic drink and over 3-fold increased odds for two or more drinks within 4 hours.
- Higher blood alcohol concentration and overall exposure were associated with increased AF episode odds.
Conclusions:
- Recent alcohol consumption is objectively associated with a higher probability of discrete atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes.
- This provides evidence that a modifiable behavior, alcohol intake, may influence AF event occurrence.
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