Heart problems and the holiday season seem to be linked. According to a Swedish study from 2018, the risk of heart attack increases by 15% during the holiday season, with two big peaks: the first on Christmas Eve (+37%) and the second on New Year’s Eve. (+20%). But what is this sudden increase due to? Professor François Carré, cardiologist and sports doctor at the University Hospital of Rennes, answers us.
An increase that mainly concerns the elderly
“It is true that the myocardial infarction are more frequent during this period, as are the cardiac arrests that complicate them. But we also have a number of people who are hospitalized for heart failure. It is not negligible.” However, these increases are not confined to the holiday season: “This is something that we also observe among football fans during major events, or during stock market crashes”, underlineshe.
So many contexts that have one thing in common: “They cause a great emotional stress. And the surges of adrenaline favor ruptures of the atherosclerotic plaque, therefore the occurrence of a trombus (a clotted blood mass, editor’s note.) in the coronary artery. However, a phenomenon which mainly affects “People over 70 who already have heart disease or risk factors. It’s very rare for this to reveal pathology, so it doesn’t happen to healthy people.”
Beware of lifestyle changes
Another concern for people at risk: change of diet. “People with heart failure, who must avoid saltoften eat oysters during the holidays, and this causes pulmonary edema, continues François Carré. And among the youngest, between 35 and 50, it is the drink that is the problem. Sudden alcohol consumption disturbs the rhythm of the heart atria”
And that’s not all : “it should not be forgotten either that these lifestyle changes are accompanied by a change in physical activity. Some don’t move at all during the holidays, and others break into wild dances forgetting that they have heart problems.”
So what advice to limit the risks? “You just have to respect your diet when you have one, and especially be attentive to symptoms, such as chest pain or irregular heartbeats. And don’t be afraid to spoil the party, as is too often the case.”
