Did you know that December 26th (celebrated as our Boxing Day holiday in the UK, Australia, Germany, Greenland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and here in Canada) is historically one of the most dangerous days of the year for people vulnerable to cardiac problems?

And many of these ‘Merry Christmas Coronaries’ will hit people who didn’t even realize they were at risk when they unwrapped their gifts the day before.

“This time of year is notorious for heart attacks, heart failures, and arrhythmias,” says Dr. Samin Sharma, director of interventional cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

It’s widely accepted that the holiday season tends to see increased numbers of cardiac events. One study in 2004 by researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Tufts University found that heart-related deaths increase by 5% during these holidays. Another study in 2008  found that daily visits to hospitals for heart failure increased by 33% during the four days after Christmas.

Anecdotally, cardiologists often report that their hospital Emergency Departments stay relatively quiet on Christmas Day itself. Then, come December 26th, they see a surge of cardiac traffic.

Most cardiac deaths reported in the two studies involved outpatients rather than inpatients, suggesting that treatment-seeking delay may be a factor. People may not want to make a fuss during family celebrations even when they are experiencing distressing symptoms, or they may misinterpret these symptoms as just indigestion brought on by too much eating and drinking.   (more…)