Heavy alcohol consumption increases adverse event risk in patients with AF
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Heavy alcohol consumption increased risk for adverse events in patients with atrial fibrillation, according to a study published in EP Europace.
“Many studies have been conducted to reveal the relationship between alcohol consumption and CV events in the general population, and it has been demonstrated that drinking alcohol could positively or negatively affect CV events in various ways,” Chewan Lim, MD, of the division of cardiology at Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “In particular, alcohol consumption is significantly associated with an increased risk for AF. However, the dose-dependent effects of alcohol on CV events is still inconclusive.”
To determine the relationship between alcohol consumption and AF-related adverse events, researchers evaluated 9,411 patients aged at least 18 years with nonvalvular AF. Researchers further categorized patients into groups: abstainer-rare alcohol consumption (0 g per week; 79.2%), light alcohol consumption (< 100 g per week; 8.4%), moderate alcohol consumption (100-200 g per week; 3.7%) and heavy alcohol consumption ( 200 g per week; 8.7%). Adverse events of interest included ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, systemic embolic event and AF hospitalization; data collection continued through a median of 17.4 months.
According to the researchers, there were of 975 (10.4%) adverse events during the follow-up period. Compared with the abstainer/rare alcohol consumption group, there was increased risk for adverse events in the heavy alcohol consumption group (adjusted HR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.06-1.33), but no significant increase in adverse events within the light alcohol consumption group (aHR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.68-1.13) or the moderate alcohol consumption group (aHR = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.63-1.33).
Further subgroup analysis showed the adverse effect of heavy alcohol consumption was significant, especially among patients with low risk for stroke, patients without hypertension and in patients whom beta-blockers were not prescribed.
“Heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of AF-related adverse events in the AF population, whereas light or moderate alcohol consumption does not,” Lim and colleagues concluded. “This association between heavy drinking and AF-adverse events is highly significant, especially in the AF population with a low risk of stroke and fewer morbidities who are generally considered less vulnerable.”
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