The deadliest heart attacks happen in December

by Rigel Celeste (Subscribe to Rigel Celeste's posts)
Nov 16th 2006 1:18PM

Like there are not enough things to stress about during the holidays, a new study reports that December is the deadliest month for heart attacks. The study didn't say anything about more heart attacks in December, just that of those that did happen more people died as a result than in any other month.

Thankfully, the margin of difference is small: 22 percent of December heart attacks were fatal within 30 days, compared to only 20% of heart attacks happening in any other month. That seems like a fairly small difference, but still interesting because one month stands out from the other eleven -- why? Researchers are considering many factors, but as of now they aren't sure what the cause is. Things they're looking at include stress of the holiday season, vacationing doctors, and possible treatment trends.

The important thing to remember is that the key to surviving a heart attack is receiving fast medical attention. Maybe during the holidays people are so busy they ignore symptoms and don't go to the hospital as soon as they should? Remember also that heart attacks can present in a variety of ways, it doesn't always happen with sharp chest or arm pains like in the movies.

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Comments (20)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

sheldon altman 11-20-2006 @ 7:35AM

have had 2 coronaries. The first synptoms were @4 am .I alled the dtor and 4:50 I was innthe table getting stents.I am ok sinceuntil 09/01/06 when the same sequencehappened and nowI have 4 stents

Elisabeth Sharff 11-20-2006 @ 9:19AM

When I had my first heart attack it was toward the end of November and the mild ones that followed were in December. I have multiple diseases and sometimes it is hard to distinguish whicxh one I might be dealing with. I will always check the heart with my nitro first. I would much rather be safe than sorry. I do have a stent and I have had 4 angioplasty's. I have lost count of the heart caths I have had I think they are around 6 or 8.

Pat Long 11-20-2006 @ 8:34AM

In November of 2004 I developed some heartburn. I had been noticing some minor dizziness for a couple days previously.
I had a very mild ache along the left jaw line. Being female I knew that symptoms are sometimes different. At the hospital all tests were normal except for the last one. A chemical stress test. Now I have two stents in my right coronary artery. And no loss of heart muscle. 99% blockage.
I've had no problems since. I wanted to write this to remind people that it can happen to you and you might not even notice.
Pay attention to these symptoms........esp. females.

david 11-20-2006 @ 8:47AM

bottom line!!!
keep eating those hydrogenated oils and meats. this will continue to happen!
wake up!

Edward 11-20-2006 @ 5:04PM

I have had at least 3 heart attacks and have had bypass surgery. The surgery has failed and I have about a third of the heart and one good artery remaining. I am diabetic and have learned that diabetics can "hide" a lot of symptoms and pass the usual tests. A standard EKG test doesn't show how the heart is being effected. A heart cath will. If you are diabetic go the "extra mile" in being tested and watch your heart closer than usual.

Kim 11-20-2006 @ 10:08AM

My mother's final heart attack was in December, 4 days after Christmas. Unfortunately, the youngest (age 17) found her when she went to help her take down the Christmas tree (she was under it). She left a cigarette burning in her ashtray. She was 44. Thank you Phillip Morris.

catherine goldsmith 11-20-2006 @ 10:40AM

my first blog ever. it hit so close to home when i clicked on. had first heart attack at 51-family history. i am 100lbs, exercise and eat well. and then BOOM ! i am a female who had classic symptoms. no guessing game here. minimal heart damage with 4 stents, not medicated either. can't get any dr. to tell me how long these stents will last. anyone out there know? 2nd heart attack in october. again, stents with minimal damage. i have not felt the same good health i enjoyed previously. does the feeling of well being ever come back? i am 55 now. still weigh 100 lbs and eat right, but i don't exercise as much anymore. i feel like what's the point?

cj 11-20-2006 @ 11:22AM

. My mother's final heart attack was in December, 4 days after Christmas. Unfortunately, the youngest (age 17) found her when she went to help her take down the Christmas tree (she was under it). She left a cigarette burning in her ashtray. She was 44. Thank you Phillip Morris.

Kim, as sad as that is, Phillip Morris did not force your mother to smoke. We all make our own decisions and life style choices.

Mary 11-20-2006 @ 11:30AM

A contributing factor to heart attacks in the winter is probably due to more strenuous activity which places the heart under stress: i.e., shoveling snow, inclement weather, dealing with the holiday traffic, shopping, overeating, tight finances.

And yes, ladies, our symptoms are different. I had a heart attack and five bypasses, 3 years of cardiac rehab, and now endless medications forever.

If there's something - anything - you can do to prevent heart disease/attack, then you should do it... not to do it can prove fatal, or at the very least, life-altering.

Become informed, become pro-active, be safe.

sue b 11-20-2006 @ 11:30AM

i had a heart attack in march 2000 at age 48 had two stents put in and have been fine since then. my bad cholosterol was high and at the time i smoked (which i no longer do) like alot of people i did not go to have it checked out cause i thought it was heart burn. do not fool around with any symtoms your body gets that it normally does not.

Jennifer 11-20-2006 @ 11:33AM

In response to David~

It's not all about what you eat, in fact most of the problem is genetic. My mother was the picture of health. She taught aerobic classes up to 4 hours a day as her job. She ate very little fat or meat for all of her adult life. She noticed a burning sensation in her sternum while she was teaching a high impact fitness class and when she went to the doctor they sent her for a stress test. She ended up with 2 stents as 2 of her arteries were 99% blocked. She had done everything right the only two explanations were: 1. Genetics and 2. Stress. She even had high cholesterol. That was last year. To date she still teaches fitness and follows a healthy lifestyle but I can tell you that it was a major shock to her and everyone that knows her.

Chuck 11-20-2006 @ 11:35AM

What #3 Mr. "I-Know-So-Much" bottom line David should know is that while hydrogenated oils and meat may be a factor in many cases, and the former should be totally avoided and the latter eaten sparingly, you can lead a perfectly healthy lifestyle and still have a coronary.

Showing a little compassion to your fellow beings might also prolong life. My sympathies to #5 Kim.

Chris Juliano 11-20-2006 @ 12:14PM

As a nurse working ER for 9 years. Most December's I see heart attacks, suicide attempts, and drug od's at almost the same rate. Think maybe people need to learn to deal with stress better than they are. There are many options available. Try to find what works for you.

Rosa 11-20-2006 @ 2:17PM

If the cause is stress I pity my poor poor heart, one of this days I am going to drop dead because my life couldn't get any more stressfull, Thank you in laws!

Elaine Pilshaw 11-20-2006 @ 1:01PM

I am 75 yo female, with" mild heart disease" according to my cardiologist. I had a leaking aortic valve which is being watched via echo cardiograms, and the latest test I had revealed that the leakage was considerably less than it had been previously. My MD isaid we should continue to test in 6 mo, but that it was basically good news. My cholesterol is higher than it should be, but we both think it is mostly genetic since I follow a low fat and low carb diet, and am not overweight. Is there anything more I can do to put off an attack? I do not exercise much, but I still work, and I do walk each day.
Thanks,
Elaine

Marilyn 11-20-2006 @ 1:17PM

My father died of a heart attack at the tender age of 49. He was in not bad health before that. However, he was easily stressed and I think stress killed him. And recently my husband, who never had a heart problem, died of a massive heart attack. I don't even know the reason why this happened to him. So take care of yourselves.

Phyllis Bovaird 11-20-2006 @ 3:30PM

I have had three catherizations, one stent, mytral valve problems in the last three years. I believe a lot of this is genetic, But, I did smoke for years. I thought I could beat the smoking habit by doing aerobics, exercising, eating right, ver little red meat. Now I have so many problems wrong with me that I doubt if I could recognize a heart attack coming on me. I am just doing the best I can. The cardiologist recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercises a day, but my other illnesses are preventing me from doing them. I need to focus on forcing myself, being strong, and "just do it"! Good luck to all

Preston 11-20-2006 @ 1:53PM

I think that December is obvious for heart attacks to happen. I blame it sometimes on our over obsession with getting all hyped up for Christmas, the pressure to get the perfect gift for loved ones; the stress and procrastination to wait until the last minute to get gifts. That if someone doesn't get their gift, that person gets disappointed and the giver goes berserk. And the way that big-box retailers and stores overhype their sales in TV commercials pushes some to a relentless out of control mentality. It's such an over-the-top pace annually that some hearts have a hard time to function. I think that many of us need to relax in December, listen to Christmas music and enjoy the what the true meaning of Christmas is without stressing ourselves out.

Denise 11-20-2006 @ 2:06PM

My father had a heart attack in his forties. He survived and has had stents put in and is doing quite well for his lifestyle. My sister complained of being tired. She thought it was lack of exercise and not enough rest. She ended up dying last year at the age of 30 from heart failure. She died immediately despite the EMS and Doctors efforts to save her. She had a cardio myopathy that went undetected. Never in a million years would she have thought it was her heart. Turns out it could have been genetic.

Maria 11-20-2006 @ 2:13PM

I'd be here all day if I told you all about the family history (I can say that my 71 year old father just had a double bypass this past May, and my 45 year old brother had two heart attacks when he was 33) My mother is on cholesterol meds, and there is history on both sides. I take a heart regulator for SVT, and cholesterol meds, too. I'm overweight, and admittedly not as active as I should be. At 43, weight loss is difficult at best, especially with the meds. There are good days, and bad. I have ulcers, too, so I can't run to the ER every time I get heartburn. I'm afraid that someday this heartburn I get is not going to be heartburn. My cardiologist called me a ticking time bomb one day, and let me tell you, that day, I began looking at my diet, and my exercise or lack thereof. It's difficult, and I see myself in the same boat as my brother and father someday. I'm afraid...