Heart attack can occur at any time, to anybody. This is a well-known fact. But recent research reports have concluded that Christmas and New Year period- the holiday season is known to put your heart health at risk.
 The study, by researchers in Lund University, Sweden, showed that the risk of heart attack was 37% high around 10 p.m. on Christmas eve. The anybody was greatest in people above 75, and those with existing diabetes and heart disease.
In addition, the risk was also noted to be higher during the New Years holiday, midsummer holidays, early mornings (8 a.m.) and Monday mornings, but not during the Easter holiday. The conclusions are based on findings of over 283,014 cases of heart attacks studied over a period of 16 years.
What events are likely to cause a heart attack?
The answer would surprise you but the following events, the study says, are known to cause a heart attack because of its stressful period.
- Earthquakes
- Hurricanes
- Stock Market Crashes
- Wars
- High-Stakes World Cup Soccer Matches
- Christmas Eve
Also, Monday is circled to be a day notorious for causing this to people. Read the entire report here.Â
What is heart attack:
Consultant Cardiologist Dr.T. Subramaniam, throws more light in this exclusive story. (Click here to read now)
Complete sudden occlusion of blood supply results in severe pain at rest and is commonly called a heart attack. The heart attack leads to permanent damage to heart muscle and heart failure if prompt treatment is not administered. There are some risk factors which precipitate the heart attacks namely smoking, hypertension, stress, high cholesterol besides genetic background. The electrical stimulus production in the heart may fail to lead to inadequate heart contraction – a condition called sick sinus syndrome.
Sometimes despite good stimulus production, there is a block in the conduction in the electrical circuit, called heart block. Some of the cases of extreme blocks, will have to have a permanent pace-maker. The blood pressure that is maintained as a result of the heart can fall if the heart fails or if there is inadequate blood as in the case of severe bleeding.
Also in our exclusive article on how one should react when he/she experiences a heart attack, the prominet risk factors for a heart attack are listed below as:
Risk factors for heart attack:
- smoking
- high blood cholesterol
- high blood pressure
- diabetes mellitus
- men above 45 years of age and women above 55 years of age and all postmenopausal women
- family history of heart attack
Apart from these major risk factors, the other factors that contribute are:
- sedentary lifestyle or physical inactivity
- excess weight
- mental stress and depression
All of the risk factors except age, sex and family history can be managed and modified.