Regular alcohol intake at moderate levels was associated with electrical and structural changes in atrial myocardium in patients who underwent electrophysiologic mapping studies prior to catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in a small cross-sectional study.
Moderate alcohol consumption, defined as eight to 21 drinks per week, was an independent predictor of the atrial remodeling, characterized by significantly reduced atrial voltage and conduction velocities and increased atrial dimensions, reported a group January 9 in Heart Rhythm.
The same was not found for mild alcohol intake levels, defined as two to seven drinks per week.
The findings suggest that moderate alcohol intake has "direct effects on atrial substrate" that are consistent with myocardial fibrosis, although the association can't prove it causes AF, observed senior author Peter M. Kistler, MBBS, PhD, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia./.../
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