Holiday Heart Syndrome Is a Legit Health Concern - Article Health

During this season’s parties and family gatherings, it’s possible you—or someone else in attendance—will experience holiday heart syndrome. Don’t be fooled by the festive name: This medical condition isn't a plot summary of a Hallmark Channel movie, it’s a condition brought on by drinking too much alcohol.

Holiday heart syndrome doesn’t have a formal definition, Regina S. Druz, MD, of the Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island and Holistic Heart Centers of America, tells Health. “It’s an observation that people who drink a lot may wind up getting admitted to the hospital with palpitations or arrhythmia, often caused by atrial fibrillation,” she says. (Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib, is an irregular heartbeat that occurs when the upper chambers of the heart—the atria—pump blood too quickly, getting out of sync with the lower chambers and disrupting your heart's ability to distribute blood throughout your body.)

How holiday heart syndrome got its name
The festive name dates back to the 1970s, when a doctor coined it to describe the volume of otherwise healthy patients showing up around holidays with arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats) after binge drinking.

Its symptoms are disconcerting
If you get holiday heart syndrome, here’s how it’ll feel: One moment, you’ll be chatting with relatives, refilling your glass, and nibbling on apps or dessert. The next, you may feel shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, or heart palpitations (a feeling that your heart is beating faster than usual), says Dr. Druz, adding that people can even feel lightheaded or pass out.

How concerned should you be about holiday heart syndrome?
Here’s the good news: “The consensus is that once you stop consuming alcohol, holiday heart goes away,” says Dr. Druz.

But that doesn’t mean the condition is benign, she adds. “The heart is a first responder, reacting to things that go on in your body.” That is, the effects of your alcoholic beverages are felt everywhere, but your heart is first to send up an alert that things have gone awry.


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