How Holidays Can Lead To More Cardiac Mortality?
By Ng Peng Hock
Christmas and New Year are two of the holiday seasons that are supposed to fill people with joys and happiness. But, do you know that death rates due to heart disease and other causes are higher around Christmas and New Year's Day than other days of the year.

In 1999, a research group published a report that examined the relationship between seasonable variations about cardiac mortality and weather conditions. For a 12-year period, it was found that consistently more deaths from ischemic heart disease during the winter than there were during the summer. The study was conducted in Los Angeles County, Calif where winter weather is mild.

About one third more deaths from ischemic heart disease were recorded in December and January than from June through September. It was initially thought that the phenomenon might be explained by the colder temperatures that have been associated with an increase in vascular resistance, coronary vasospasm, blood pressure, and hemostasis.

The researchers, by plotting the daily rates of death from ischemic heart disease during November, December, and January, discovered that there was a peak on New Year Day with daily minimum temperatures remained relatively flat during December and January. They therefore postulated that this peak in cardiac deaths during the might result from other factors, including the emotional stress of the holidays, overindulgence during the holiday season, or both.

In a later study in United States, published in December 2004 in The Circulation (a medical journal), researchers again found that distinct spikes in both heart and non-heart related deaths around Christmas and New Year's Day. This spike in holiday deaths accounted for 42,039 more deaths than would have been expected. Moreover, most of these patients died on either December 25 or 26, or January 1.

The reason for the holiday-related spike in deaths could not be explained by factors such as respiratory diseases, emotional stress or changes in diet or alcohol drinking. Researchers hence attributed the phenomenon to delay in seeking medical care during the holidays. Another possibility is staffing changes during the holidays, including scheduling changes of doctors, nurses, and even health insurance personnel.

The study also concluded that the winter season is associated with significant increase in cardiac deaths. The researcher suggested that doctors must be aware of this phenomenon and help their patients to minimize risk factors that will trigger heart attack. More research is recommended to determine the cause of the "Merry Christmas" and the "Happy New Year" heart attack.

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