FOR THOSE WHO suffer from atrial fibrillation, the most common arrhythmia, particularly in the elderly, it is better to avoid alcoholic. Or at least minimize their intake. This simple measure could help limit the future risk of suffering a cerebral stroke (the presence of arrhythmia also increases this danger up to five times compared to the general population) in relation to what is observed in subjects who instead continue to drink. This is supported by a research conducted in Korea, on a national database that involved nearly 98,000 people with atrial fibrillation, of which more than a third were drinkers, published in European Heart Journal. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Korea in collaboration with those from the University of Liverpool. During the five years of observation – we are talking about subjects who had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation – 3120 cases of cerebral stroke were observed. Abstainers and non-consumers of alcohol were associated with a lower risk than those who drank with some regularity.
Heart door
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at Federico Mereta
Forget the alcohol
But then, alcohol yes or alcohol no, given that there are studies that instead suggest a protective action of alcohol on vessels? “Regarding heart rhythm disorders, observational studies have generally shown that alcohol consumption increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, heart failure and hemorrhagic stroke – he explains. Ciro Indolfi, president of the Italian Society of Cardiology. One possible mechanism by which alcohol consumption could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease is the increase in blood pressure. In fact, numerous studies have shown that if drinkers of more than 2 drinks a day progressively reduce the amount of alcohol, blood pressure is also reduced. Furthermore, in heavy drinkers there is an increase in cholesterol, triglyceride levels and a possible negative effect on the contraction of the heart. On the contrary, the moderate use of alcohol (the classic glass or half a glass of wine a day), in healthy subjects, reduces the “bad” LDL cholesterol and fibrinogen levels “.
The advices
But then, how should we behave? From the Korean study it emerges that even drinkers with a moderate amount of alcohol consumption still showed a significantly higher risk of ischemic stroke and a linear dose-response relationship between the amount of current alcohol intake and the risk of ischemic stroke. “In patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, even a modest use of alcohol (less than 105 grams per week, a glass of red wine contains 12 grams of alcohol) increases the risk of stroke – continues Indolfi. There is another important fact: if drinkers stop drinking alcohol after atrial fibrillation is diagnosed, the risk of ischemic stroke is reduced. We can therefore conclude that in patients who have heart rhythm disorders related to atrial fibrillation the use of alcohol should be completely banned, because even moderate use (the classic glass of red wine a day) could increase the risk of stroke. “. The final advice, given the high prevalence of this arrhythmia in old age but not only, is therefore simple: if the cardiologist requests an intervention on the lifestyle, we try to follow his indications. Having healthy habits, including attention to alcohol consumption, means dealing with the disease in the best possible way.
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