Yahoo News Heart attack risk shoots up at Christmas (but it doesn’t peak on Christmas Day)
The risk of heart attacks rises significantly during the festive season, a new study has found – with the risk peaking at 10pm on Christmas Eve.
It’s thought to be linked to emotional stress, the researchers write in the British Medical Journal.
The researchers analysed the exact timings of 283,014 heart attacks from 1998 to 2013 in Sweden (where the big Christmas celebrations are often on Christmas Eve).
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The researchers found that the risk of heart attacks rose 15% during the Christmas holidays.
By far the highest risk came on Christmas Eve, with a 37% increased risk of heart attack (peaking around 10pm).
The researchers found that heart attacks also spike on New Year’s Day (not New Year’s Eve), which is ‘possibly explained by a negligence and masking of symptoms due to alcohol’.
The researchers say that the risk is greatest in over-75s and in those with diabetes and heart disease.
