Alcohol and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter

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Abstract
Evidence for an association between alcohol consumption and risk of atrial fibrillation is conflicting. Cohort studies such as the Framingham Heart Study,1 the Manitoba Follow-up Study,2 the Multifactor Primary Prevention Study,3 and the Renfrew/Paisley Study4 did not find any association between alcohol consumption and risk of atrial fibrillation. However, the Cardiovascular Health Study5 reported that alcohol consumption reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation in a dose-response–related manner. A recently published case-control study reported an adjusted relative risk of 2.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.4-4.1) for atrial fibrillation among subjects who consumed more than 42 units (>420 g) of alcohol per week.6 None of these studies reported on drinking pattern or source of alcohol and risk of atrial fibrillation. We did a prospective follow-up investigation in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study cohort to further assess the potentials of hazard of atrial fibrillation or flutter associated with alcohol consumption. We examined the risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter related to the amount of daily alcohol consumption, frequency of alcohol consumption, and the type of alcohol consumed (wine vs beer) in men and women.