Increased heart attack risk on holidays Why do infarcts especially on Christmas Eve occur?

The holidays are a danger to the health of the heart

The Christmas holidays should actually be a contemplative time, in which people can relax and unwind. Unfortunately, the opposite is often the case: hectic and stress prevail. Researchers now found that the holidays seem to have a negative impact on the health of the heart. According to the experts, Christmas Eve is the day with the most heart attacks throughout the year.

The scientists from Lund University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found in their recent joint study that there is an increased risk of heart attacks over the Christmas holidays. The stress of the holidays seems to have a direct impact on our heart health. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "The BMJ".

Christmas Eve, the risk of heart attacks is increased by nearly 40 percent

The Christmas holidays should actually be a relaxed and contemplative time, but this often does not correspond to reality. Often there is a lot of stress and time pressure especially on the Christmas days. Especially Christmas Eve is the worst day of the year for heart attacks, the doctors say. The risk of a heart attack rose by nearly 40 percent that day, the experts add. Specifically, the research has shown that most heart attacks occur at 10:00 pm on this day.

Physicians examined 283,014 heart attacks

The current observational study analyzed the timing of 283,014 heart attacks reported between 1998 and 2013. The data used came from the so-called Swedish coronary care unit registry. Christmas Eve is the prime time in Sweden to meet, celebrate, drink and eat on family holidays, the researchers say.

When was the risk of a heart attack also increased?

There was another Swedish holiday, which was associated with a higher risk of a heart attack, it is midsummer. On this holiday in mid-June, companies close and families typically come together. In addition, the researchers found in the evaluation of the data that many heart attacks occur in the early morning (before 8 clock) and on Mondays, the probability of the occurrence of a heart attack was increased. In the Easter holidays and sporting events, however, the scientists could not find an increased risk of heart attack.

Further research is needed

If people in the study were over 75 years of age, had diabetes, or had a history of coronary heart disease, they were at the highest risk of heart attack, the authors said. It is not exactly clear, but apparently emotional suffering with acute experience of anger, anxiety, grief and stress increases the risk of a heart attack, the doctors say. Excessive food intake, consumption of alcohol and long-distance travel can also increase the risk of heart attack. More research is now needed to pinpoint what might be causing this increased risk of heart attack during holidays and holidays, study authors conclude. (As)