Strange, but evidently true: Deadly heart attacks spike during the holidays.
According to a study published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, more cardiac deaths occur in the U.S. on Dec. 25 than on any other day of the year, followed by Dec. 26 and Jan. 1.
But it is not just the U.S. One medical journal study found a 15 percent overall increase in heart attacks in Sweden during the winter holidays. Heart attacks spiked 37 percent on Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve), most often affecting people over 75 and those with diabetes or previous cardiovascular disease.
And here is another ominous fact: More serious heart attacks occur on Mondays than any other day, according to the British Cardiovascular Society. This year Christmas Day (Dec. 25) falls on a Monday.
So, why is this so? Doctors and researchers have their suspicions.
* People are busy. They ignore heart attack symptoms. Who wants to interrupt the party?
* People are traveling and may forget to take their medications.
* They are eating a lot of fatty, sweet foods. And this different diet may cause blood pressure to rise and heart rates to increase. Alcohol is probably also a factor.
