Atrial fibrillation in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis leads to increased mortality.

Authors

Harshavardhan Sanekommu, Sowmya Dandu, Sneha K Jayaswal, Mahmut C Ozkan, Vera Hapshy, Christopher Schreiber, Talal Khurshid Bhatti, Farah Deshmukh, Don C Rockey

Published in

European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology. Volume 38. Issue 8. Pages 971-976. Aug 01, 2026. Epub Jun 25, 2026.

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk for development of atrial fibrillation. Outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation in the context of acute alcohol-associated hepatitis have yet to be investigated.
We performed a retrospective study of patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis from the National Inpatient Sample (2016-2019), comparing those with and without concurrent atrial fibrillation. Subgroup analysis with and without cirrhosis was alone performed. Statistical analysis performed using STATA 16.1 and multivariate logistic and linear regression.
Among 475 600 patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis, 27 675 (5.8%) had atrial fibrillation. Patients with atrial fibrillation had a nearly two-fold increased in-hospital mortality (6.9%) compared with those without atrial fibrillation (3.9%) [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.20-1.53] and higher odds of developing acute kidney injury (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.15-1.32). They also had longer hospital stays and higher total hospital charges (7.5 vs. 6.0 days and $20 005 vs. $14 714, respectively). Among patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis and atrial fibrillation, 33% also had cirrhosis (n = 9190), and these patients had an even higher mortality rate (11.3%) than those with alcohol-associated hepatitis and atrial fibrillation alone (4.7%). Acute coronary syndrome, chronic kidney disease, and obesity were independently associated with increased mortality.
Patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis who have atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of in-hospital mortality and underlying cirrhosis compounds this risk. Early recognition of the effect of concomitant atrial fibrillation and alcohol-associated hepatitis could provide an opportunity for intervention.

PMID:
42335427
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Jun 2026.

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