Effect of ethanol drinking, hangover, and exercise on adrenergic activity and heart rate variability in patients with a history of alcohol-induced atrial fibrillation

Abstract To elucidate the mechanism of alcohol-induced atrial fibrillation (AF) we studied the heart rate variability and parameters of the adrenergic system during alcohol intake, hangover, and exercise in 6 men (mean age 43 years) prone to alcohol-induced AF, together with 6 age-matched controls. The ambulatory (15 hour) electrocardiogram was recorded and blood samples were taken for lymphocytic β adrenoceptor, plasma catecholamine, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) measurements before and after alcohol intake (blood alcohol 1.5‰), during hangover, and after a standardized bicycle exercise test. The β-adrenoceptor density in lymphocytes was unchanged in the control group after alcohol intake or during hangover. Each of the AF patients had an increase in β-adrenoceptor density after ethanol drinking (mean increase 29%, p