Smoking increases chance for irregular heartbeat

To quit smoking is good, but never to start smoking is much better. This is the result of a study conducted at the Erasmus Medical Center. A history of smoking can increase the chance of getting cardiac arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat.

People who smoke or have smoked, have a 50 percent higher chance to develop a heart condition called AF, Atrial Fibrillation. AF causes the upper chambers of the heart to contract irregularly and too fast. This causes shortness of breath in the patient. The study with 5700 people of 55 years and older showed this.

That smoking causes heart disease has been known for quite some time, but this is the first time a direct link was found between AF and smoking. Other factors like age, high blood pressure and previous heart failures were filtered out.

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