FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2009
Contact: Donna Krupa
Office: (301) 634-7253
commoff@the-aps.org
Link Between Cardiac Deaths
And the Holidays is Focus of December Broadcast of Life Lines
Study
released in 2004 still relevant this holiday season
 BETHESDA,
Md. (Dec. 14, 2009) — Research has found that heart attacks peak during
the winter months, and the prevailing hypothesis has been that cold
temperatures stress the heart. But in 1999, researchers analyzed 12 years of
Los Angeles County death certificates and found that heart attack deaths
also rise in the balmy Los Angeles winters. What’s more, cardiac deaths peak
on Christmas and New Year’s Day in L.A. County.
Could it be that the weather is not the most important
factor behind the seasonal increase in heart attacks? Cardiologist Robert
Kloner discusses his research in Episode 28 of the podcast, Life Lines.
You can find that episode at
http://lifelines.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=557789.
Dr. Kloner and his colleagues found that cardiac deaths
in Los Angeles County rose 33% during the months of November through January
and peaked on Christmas and New Year's Day. Because the temperatures were
mild and stable during the three-month period, they concluded that factors
other than temperature must play a role in the increase in cardiac deaths.
Why would heart attack deaths spike during the
holidays? The researchers considered a variety of possibilities, but
concluded that emotional stress associated with the holidays is a primary
factor.
How stress affects the cardiovascular system
Stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system,
causing the release of catecholamines, which increase heart rate, blood
pressure, and the force of the heart’s contractions. This can intensify the
pressure of the blood against plaque in the arteries and can cause the
plaque to rupture and possibly block blood flow.
Ruptured plaque may also release tissue factors which
stimulate formation of a blood clot. The blood clot could shut off blood
flow in the coronary artery, contributing to a heart attack.
In addition to increasing the possibility of plaque
rupture, the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system may trigger
arrhythmias, in which the heart beats irregularly or rapidly.
For more information, please
contact Donna Krupa at
commoff@the-aps.org or at 301.634.7253.
***
Physiology
is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create
health or disease. The American Physiological Society (APS) has been an
integral part of this scientific discovery process since it was established
in 1887.
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