Heavy drinking during the Chuseok holiday can trigger acute arrhythmia even in people with no history of heart disease, a condition known as holiday heart syndrome, doctors warned.
The arrhythmia team at Samsung Medical Center issued the warning on the 21st, ahead of the Chuseok holiday. "If your heart races for no clear reason after overeating or drinking, and it comes with chest tightness and dizziness, you should suspect acute arrhythmia rather than simple indigestion, because it can lead to complications such as stroke," said Park Kyoung-min, a professor of cardiology.
Holiday heart syndrome, first reported in medical literature in 1978, refers to arrhythmia that appears in people with otherwise healthy hearts after they drink large amounts of alcohol over a short period during weekends or holidays. A research team at the University of Munich measured smartphone electrocardiogram readings and alcohol consumption in 3,028 Oktoberfest attendees and found arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation, in 30.5% of them, supporting the finding that short-term binge drinking has an immediate effect on the heart.
Drinking patterns in South Korea are relevant to that risk. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 33.7% of Korean adults, or one in three, binge drink at least once a month, and the rate of high-risk drinking, defined as binge drinking twice or more a week, reaches 12%. Korea's monthly binge drinking rate is the fifth highest among 27 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The link between holidays and cardiac arrest has also been confirmed in domestic research. A study analyzing 89,164 cases of cardiac arrest compiled by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency from 2015 to 2019 found the risk of cardiac arrest on holidays was at least 6% higher than on weekdays. Among the four major holidays, Christmas showed the highest increase at 9.6%, followed by Lunar New Year at 8.2%, with New Year's Day and Chuseok each at 6%. The researchers explained the pattern through the "broken promise theory," which holds that pressure to return to daily routines the day after a holiday acts as stress and strains the heart.
The effects of binge drinking on the heart unfold in stages. Alcohol and its metabolite acetaldehyde overstimulate the sympathetic nervous system, increasing the heart's electrical instability, while a diuretic effect flushes out potassium and magnesium, abnormally activating calcium channels in the heart muscle. In this process, the contractile function of the left atrium can also temporarily decline. One international journal study found that drinking five or more glasses within two hours raises the risk of acute atrial fibrillation by 29%, and drinking six or more glasses a day increases arrhythmia risk by as much as twofold.
Kim Ju-won, a professor of cardiology, said anyone can check for arrhythmia at home. "You can measure the pulse on the outer side of the wrist for 10 seconds and multiply by six," the professor said. An irregular pulse, or one outside the range of 60 to 100 beats per minute, warrants suspicion of arrhythmia. Park urged patients to seek care if symptoms persist. "If palpitations continue for more than 10 minutes after heavy drinking, you should visit a medical institution for an accurate diagnosis," the professor said. In an emergency during the holiday, patients can call 119 or 129, or use the Ministry of Health and Welfare's emergency medical portal E-Gen, for information on nearby clinics and emergency rooms.
