Alcohol might induce atrial fibrillation, leading to stroke, or there could be a specific alcohol effect that causes systemic or cerebral clots, the researchers suggested.
Advertisement
The study, published in The BMJ, found that those with atrial fibrillation had a 61% higher risk of ischaemic heart disease, a 64% increased risk of chronic kidney disease, an 88% higher risk of sudden vehicle diac death and 96% higher risk of a major cardiovascular event.
It is already known that an irregular heartbeat – also known as atrial fibrillation – increases the risk of a stroke.
The study included more than 25,000 Swedish adults, ages 18-64, with atrial fibrillation that wasn’t related to valve problems.
Researchers said the study “adds to the growing literature on the association between atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular outcomes beyond stroke”.
Absolute risk increases (based on the United States population) included 3.8 events per 1,000 participant years for all cause mortality, 1.4 events per 1,000 participant years for ischaemic heart disease, and 6.6 events per 1,000 participant years for chronic kidney disease.
Risk for heart failure was the most significant of these associations, rising fivefold for people with atrial fibrillation, the study authors said.
The condition can affect adults of any age, but it becomes more common with age.
“These findings highlight the complex nature of atrial fibrillation, a diagnosis which can be associated with one or several other conditions, but also exist on its own”, said Dr. Sumeet Chugh, director of the Heart Rhythm Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, who was not part of the new review.
Even though the associations they describe can not indicate causality for the non-stroke outcomes, “there is merit in developing clinical risk prediction models for outcomes such as congestive heart failure; particularly given our relative and absolute risk estimates”, they write. “They should consider the risk for other cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, kidney disease and coronary heart disease as well”.
The absolute risk increase for heart failure (11 events per 1,000 participant years) was the highest among the outcomes examined.
Advertisement
She added that people who have an irregular pulse should make an appointment to see their GP as soon as possible.
