Evidence map›Paper›PMID 21461366›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation : official journal of the European Society of Cardiology, Working Groups on Epidemiology & Prevention and Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology2010

Alcohol consumption as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Andriy V Samokhvalov, Hyacinth M Irving, Jürgen Rehm

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation : official journal of the European Society of Cardiology, Working Groups on Epidemiology & Prevention and Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 89 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
89citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

89 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Alcohol consumption and risk of atrial fibrillation: a pairwise and network meta-analysis.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Dietary interventions in the management of atrial fibrillation.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2024
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  14. Modifiable Risk Factors in Atrial Fibrillation: Clinical Implications and Pathophysiological Insights.Annals of noninvasive electrocardiology : the official journal of the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology, Inc · 2026
    Review
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29 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Andriy V SamokhvalovPublic Health and Regulatory Policy Section, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. avsamokhvalov@yahoo.ca
Hyacinth M Irving
Jürgen Rehm

Funding

NIAAA NIH HHS HHSN267200700041CNIDDK NIH HHS HHSN267200700041C
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlcohol exposure is one of the major risk factors for global burden of disease, but atrial fibrillation (AF) had not yet been included in these estimates. The purpose of this contribution was to examine the dose–response relationship between alcohol consumption and AF and to explore potential causal pathways. DESIGN AND

methodsSystematic literature review and meta-analyses.

resultsOverall, a consistent dose–response relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed daily and the probability of the onset of AF was found. Women consuming 24, 60 and 120 g of alcohol daily had relative risks of 1.07 [95%confidence interval (CI): 1.04–1.10], 1.42 (95% CI: 1.23–1.64) and 2.02 (95% CI: 1.60–2.97), respectively, relative to nondrinkers. Among men, the corresponding relative risks were 1.08 (95% CI: 1.04–1.11), 1.44 (95% CI: 1.23–1.69) and 2.09(95% CI: 1.52–2.86). Based on the categorical analyses, we could not exclude the existence of a threshold (three drinks a day for men and two drinks a day for women). Several pathogenic mechanisms for the development of AF in alcohol users were identified.

conclusionEpidemiological criteria for causality were met to conclude a causal impact of alcohol consumption on the onset of AF with a monotonic dose–response relationship. However, the impact of light drinking is not clear.

Indexed as

Alcohol DrinkingAtrial FibrillationConfidence IntervalsDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleOdds RatioRisk FactorsSex Factorsalcoholatrial fibrillationcardiac rhythm disorderscausalityheavy drinking

Identifiers

PMID21461366
PMCPMC3065072

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.