Harmful Impact of Tobacco Smoking and Alcohol Consumption on the Atrial Myocardium

Amelie H Ohlrogge; Lars Frost; Renate B Schnabel

doi:10.3390/cells11162576

Harmful Impact of Tobacco Smoking and Alcohol Consumption on the Atrial Myocardium

Cells. 2022 Aug 18;11(16):2576. doi: 10.3390/cells11162576.

Authors

Amelie H Ohlrogge^{1

2}, Lars Frost^{3

4}, Renate B Schnabel^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Centre Hamburg, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
² German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
³ Diagnostic Centre, University Clinic for Development of Innovative Patient Pathways, Silkeborg Regional Hospital, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark.
⁴ Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.

Abstract

Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption are widespread exposures that are legal and socially accepted in many societies. Both have been widely recognized as important risk factors for diseases in all vital organ systems including cardiovascular diseases, and with clinical manifestations that are associated with atrial dysfunction, so-called atrial cardiomyopathy, especially atrial fibrillation and stroke. The pathogenesis of atrial cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, and stroke in context with smoking and alcohol consumption is complex and multifactorial, involving pathophysiological mechanisms, environmental, and societal aspects. This narrative review summarizes the current literature regarding alterations in the atrial myocardium that is associated with smoking and alcohol.

Keywords: alcohol; atria; atrial cardiomyopathy; atrial myocardium; cigarettes; drinking; smoking; tobacco.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Alcohol Drinking / adverse effects
Atrial Fibrillation* / etiology
Humans
Myocardium
Stroke* / complications
Tobacco Smoking

Grants and funding

L.F. is supported by a grant from the Health Research Foundation of Central Denmark Region. R.B.S. has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 648131, from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 847770 (AF-FECT-EU), and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK e.V.) (81Z1710103 and 81Z0710114); German Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF 01ZX1408A) and ERACo-SysMed3 (031L0239).