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(CNN) - It is the holiday season, driven by fatty and salty snacks with lots of alcohol to lower them.
The combination can create what doctors call "holiday heart syndrome." It is a term coined in 1978 to describe the sudden increase of patients in emergency rooms during the holidays, complaining of irregular heart rhythms known as atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation is an accelerated or irregular heartbeat that often feels like a "flutter or tremor" in the chest. The sensation may be accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue and even chest pain. If left untreated in the long term, it can cause blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other complications related to the heart.
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While having an existing heart disease makes one more vulnerable to the holiday heart syndrome, the sudden onset of atrial fibrillation primarily affects perfectly healthy people without existing heart problems.
"As originally described, this condition was seen more frequently in patients without underlying heart disease," said North Carolina cardiologist Dr. Kevin Campbell.
The link with alcohol
"It is believed that atrial fibrillation in holiday heart syndrome is related to excess alcohol," said Campbell, which can cause a short circuit in the heart's electrical system, change electrolyte levels (or salts) in the blood and increase the release of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. ”
Even moderate amounts of alcohol use seem to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, said Stanford's cardiac electrophysiologist, Dr. Marco Pérez, who is conducting the Apple Watch Heart trial on atrial fibrillation on the Apple device.
"That risk is even greater with more severe amounts of alcohol consumption," Pérez said. "Once you enter all three drinks or the upper category, you begin to see a large increase in atrial fibrillation."
Add the typical stressors of the holidays and lack of adequate sleep, and the combination can be a “perfect storm,” said cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, who has seen this happen over the years in his private practice .
Sometimes they don't even realize they are putting themselves at risk, Sinatra said.
"People who are not alcoholics would go from a party in the office, to a private party that night, to have relatives during the next day and drink on each stage," Sinatra said. "In a short period of time, you can call that excessive alcohol consumption."
Current dietary guidelines define moderate alcohol consumption as one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. In the United States, a standard drink is 14 grams of pure alcohol; in the United Kingdom there are 10 grams, both equivalent to approximately 1.5 ounces of spirits, 5 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of regular beer.
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You can see how easy it would be to treat yourself during the holidays, or even on weekends during the rest of the year. That appears in the boom of "drunkenness"; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that more than half of American men report drinking too much once a month; almost a quarter does it five times a month, with an average of eight drinks per session.
"About 60% of compulsive drinkers at one time will experience an episode of atrial fibrillation," Perez said.
"And we know that people who chronically abuse alcohol certainly have more arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation," said cardiologist Dr. Martha Gulati, editor in chief of the American College of Cardiology patient engagement initiative, called CardioSmart.
"And, of course, if people have existing risk factors for heart disease or stroke, such as obesity or high blood pressure, their risk of having a holiday heart increases," Gulati said.
"I certainly tell my patients that they have hypertension to be careful with alcohol because alcohol can raise blood pressure," Gulati said. "And we certainly know that hypertension is one of the risk factors that can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation."
Prevention of the “holiday heart”
Tips to prevent the festive heart while enjoying your vacation include being aware of the amount of alcohol you consume during the event and staying well hydrated. Alcohol is very dehydrating, as are many of the salty things that are often used for eating.
"Prevention involves moderation in alcohol and food," said Campbell. “Exercise a lot and get enough sleep. And try to avoid large family discussions until after the holidays to minimize stress. ”
However, if at any time during the holidays (or even during the year) you have palpitations, shortness of breath, lightheadedness or feel that your heart rate is too fast, you should be examined by a doctor, Gulati said. Science does not yet know enough about the heart of the holidays to be sure that it will not have a more serious event, such as a stroke.
"There may be people who come to the emergency room with a stroke and at that time doctors have to deal with an acute stroke," said Gulati. “And we don't have information or good databases to say how many of those people were a classic compulsive drinker during the holidays. We just don't know it. ”
Alcohol Christmas
