Key result
Excessive alcohol consumption can trigger cardiac arrhythmias, most commonly atrial fibrillation, in a condition known as holiday heart syndrome, which typically resolves with alcohol cessation.
Holiday heart syndrome is characterized by arrhythmias, most commonly atrial fibrillation, triggered by excessive alcohol consumption, and is primarily managed through alcohol abstinence.
Encourages alcohol abstinence counseling in holiday-triggered AF; leaves open need for prospective trials on prevention.
The impact of alcohol on human health is widely known. There is a large body of research about positive (the “French paradox”) and negative effects of alcohol consumption. The relationship between excessive alcohol consumption and cardiac arrhythmias was first described in the 1970s in people who consumed alcohol heavily, mainly on weekends or holidays, but also in those who drank little or did not consume any alcohol. The term “holiday heart syndrome” was used for the first time by Philip Ettinger with reference to healthy people without cardiovascular disease. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause arrhythmias, most often in the form of atrial fibrillation. Ethanol and its metabolites have a toxic impact on cardiac myocytes; moreover, alcoholic cardiomyopathy accounts for one-third of all cases of non‐ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy. It is possible to restore normal heart function through early diagnosis and cessation of alcohol consumption. The prevalence of holiday heart syndrome depends on the drinking habits of the study population. Holiday heart syndrome should be considered especially in patients without overt heart disease with a new onset of atrial fibrillation. Although relapses do occur, the clinical course is mild and specific antiarrhythmic therapy is usually not warranted. People diagnosed with cardiovascular disease benefit from minimising the amount of alcohol consumption. There is no safe amount of alcohol to drink and especially those with alcoholic cardiomyopathy should strive for abstinence in order to optimise treatment.
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Kostrzewska et al. (2021) conducted a review in Holiday heart syndrome, atrial fibrillation. Excessive alcohol consumption vs. Abstinence or moderate alcohol consumption was evaluated. Excessive alcohol consumption can trigger cardiac arrhythmias, most commonly atrial fibrillation, in a condition known as holiday heart syndrome, which typically resolves with alcohol cessation.
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