title: Heavy alcohol consumption and risk of atrial fibrillation. The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence regarding the relationship between different levels of alcohol consumption and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) is currently limited in Asian populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1991 and 1995, a total of 8,602 Japanese men and women aged 30-80 years took part in the first examination of the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS), a population-based cohort study in Japanese communities. An interviewer obtained detailed information on weekly alcohol intake. During the follow-up period, the incidence of AF was ascertained from annual ECG records, the subject's medical history of AF, and cardiovascular disease surveillance. The hazard ratios (HRs) of incident AF and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) relative to the never-drinking group were calculated with adjustment for potential confounding factors by using the Cox proportional hazard model. During a median follow-up period of 6.4 years, 296 incidents of AF occurred. A higher incidence of AF was observed among participants with an ethanol intake >69g/day, compared with never-drinkers. Compared with the never-drinkers, the multivariable-adjusted HRs (CIs) of past, light (<23g/day), light-moderate (23-46g/day), moderate (46-69g/day), and heavy (>69g/day) drinkers were 1.30 (0.68-2.49), 0.89 (0.60-1.32), 1.19 (0.73-1.95), 1.36 (0.79-2.35), and 2.90 (1.61-5.23), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of AF.
authors.affiliation: Public Health, Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Fumihiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imano
authors.forename: Renzhe
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiyama
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sankai
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.forename: Kazuomi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kario
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D044466:Asian People; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population