Cardiologist warns of holiday heart syndrome

HAYS COUNTY — Gathering with friends and family this time of year can oftentimes mean being surrounded by drinks and a lot of food. This combination can lead to what doctors deem as holiday heart syndrome.

The syndrome — also known as alcohol-induced atrial fibrillation or an irregular heartbeat — is the term for heart rhythm issues that develop after heavy alcohol consumption or even overindulging in certain types of food.

“Holiday heart syndrome is essentially the development of a cardiac arrhythmia after what is known as binge drinking, so typically, overindulgence in terms of alcohol intake. The original presentation was back in the 1970s, [when] some researchers noticed that people were coming in who weren't necessarily alcoholics, but had just had several alcoholic drinks over the holidays and came in with something known as atrial fibrillation,” said Dr. Leticia Castillo-Kontak, a cardiologist at Baylor Scott & White Health. “Atrial fibrillation in general is an irregular arrhythmia that can be more pronounced (or more prevalent) in patients who drink alcohol and so, we typically do see that arrhythmia throughout the whole year, but we end up seeing a lot of it more, especially in patients who are at risk of heart disease, they might have high blood pressure, obesity and then they have drinks.”

The recommendation is for women to have no more than one drink per day on average and for men to have no more than two. Alcohol consumption is common in conversations of holiday heart syndrome, but Dr. Castillo-Kontak said that there are other issues that could affect the risk of an arrhythmia: lack of sleep, caffeine, salt intake and general overindulging during the holidays.

While it’s peak season for holiday heart syndrome, an arrhythmia could occur any time of the year.

“It doesn't necessarily have to be around the holidays. It's any time that you're overdrinking, maybe drinking a little bit too much caffeinated beverages or you're eating too much salt [and] your blood pressure is high,” the cardiologist explained. “When we counsel people on risk of recurrent heart arrhythmias, that is basically what they told them to focus on.”

There are several ways that people can ensure that they are staying heart healthy, according to Dr. Castillo-Kontak:

• Limiting drinking excessively

• Not overindulging in foods that have high amounts of sodium

• Limiting caffeine intake

• Keeping stress levels low

• Exercising

• Maintaining a consistent routine

“It’s easy to go for the cookies and continue to eat leftovers for two weeks after Thanksgiving,” she said. “Certainly, I think just maintaining that same healthy lifestyle you’ve had throughout the whole year [is important]. You can still indulge, just not going overboard is what I would recommend.”

Those who are experiencing any symptoms of heart racing, a feeling of a flutter in the chest, palpitations, fatigue when walking or chest pressure/heaviness are encouraged to go see a doctor.

“Early recognition of atrial fibrillation and any cardiac symptom is important … Even in younger people, we see atrial fibrillation. They might not have any other risk factor besides alcohol intake,” she explained. “So, certainly just learning to recognize the symptoms and being mindful and aware of the potential biggest cardiac risk factors [like] high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyle, excess alcohol intake [and] high cholesterol. Monitoring your health and following up with your doctors regularly and recognizing the symptoms of heart conditions.”

To learn more about holiday heart syndrome, or atrial fibrillation, visit www.goodrx.com/health-topic/heart/holiday-heart-syndrome or bit.ly/47Pu2wO.