Thursday, April 03, 2008

When Does Heart Attack Occur Most?

People tend to eat and drink more during festive seasons like Christmas, New Year. It is, therefore, very common to see a surge in heart attack during such period.

In the United States, December and January are the deadliest months for heart attack when people consume rich food and extra alcohol, and at the same time, suffer seasonal stress. Nonetheless, the worst thing is that there would be a double dose of denial.

People may initially take chest pain as indigestion. Research shows that people who are possible candidates for heart attack are also more reluctant to rush to hospital when they feel that the holiday gathering is being disrupted or when they are in a city that they do not live in.

According to a study conducted in 2004, the seasoning swing in heart attack in the United States was noticed, with the peak in the number of deaths around the period of Christmas and New Year holidays.

Many factors can cause such phenomenon. For instance, people may just skip or forget to take their medications. Some people may put on weight especially when they skip exercising. As we know, digesting a particularly heavy and high-fat meal tends to pressure the heart, thus causing blood pressure and heart rate to increase. Heart will definitely have to pump harder.

For alcohol lovers, they may suffer 'holiday heart syndrome', which occurs when alcohol irritates the heart muscle, triggering an irregular heartbeat that can cause a stroke.

Furthermore, hospitals may be short of staffs during festive seasons, as most people would be taking their leaves as well. All this can cause a delay in treating a heart attack victim.

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