SEASONAL-VARIATION IN OCCURRENCE OF ACUTE ATRIAL-FIBRILLATION AND RELATION TO AIR-TEMPERATURE AND SALE OF ALCOHOL

A trial fibrillation (AF) is the most common acute tachyarrhythmia encountered in everyday clinical practice. Although it may occur in healthy subjects, most cases are related to hypertensive, coronary or valvular heart disease, or to primary cardiomyopathy.1,2 The factors precipitating individual attacks are less well-studied, but include heavy use of alcohol.1,2 In a recent study of 100 consecutive patients with new-onset AF,2 we found 2 to 3 times higher admission rates in winter than in summer, suggesting seasonal variation in the triggering factors. We therefore recorded the date of onset of acute AF in each patient presenting over the next year and studied the rate of the monthly admissions for AF in relation to ambient temperature and sale of alcohol in our area. © 1990.