FRIDAY, Sept. 2, 2016 -- Excessive alcohol consumption and age may
increase risk of stroke in people with a common heart rhythm disorder
called atrial fibrillation, a new study finds.
"Doctors should ask their [atrial fibrillation] patients about
alcohol use and advise patients to cut down if they are drinking more
than is recommended," said Dr. Faris Al-Khalili, who led the study.
Al-Khalili is a cardiologist at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm,
Sweden.
The study included more than 25,000 Swedish adults, ages 18-64, with
atrial fibrillation that wasn't related to valve problems. Atrial
fibrillation increases odds of stroke, but because these patients had
few additional risk factors, they were considered at low risk for
ischemic stroke (blocked blood flow to the brain).
Over a follow-up of about five years, the researchers found two
factors were significantly associated with increased stroke risk:
alcohol-related hospitalization -- which doubled risk -- and age.
Use of blood-thinning medication was associated with a lower risk,
according to the study presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the
European Society of Cardiology, in Rome.
"Even though these patients are classified as low-risk, the incidence
of ischemic stroke in our study population is neither negligible nor
ignorable and it carries a relatively high mortality," Al-Khalili said
in a society news release.
"Our study found that alcohol is an independent risk factor for stroke in patients with [atrial fibrillation]," Al-Khalili said.
How the relationship works isn't clear, however, and the study was
observational, meaning it can't prove a direct cause-and-effect
relationship.
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.
"Using alcohol-related hospitalization as a proxy for alcohol abuse
likely underestimates the extent of the problem, and does not allow
grading of the amount of alcohol consumed," Al-Khalili said.
He added that the beneficial link between blood thinners and stroke
in these patients needs further investigation, particularly with respect
to benefits versus harms, such as bleeding.
Research presented at meetings is usually considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more on atrial fibrillation.
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