Super Bowl May Trigger Heart Attacks

By Matt McMillen

MONDAY, January 31 (Health.com) — This Sunday’s Super Bowl could prove to be a real heartbreaker for some fans of the losing team. A new study suggests that the emotional stress fans feel after a loss may trigger fatal heart attacks, especially in people who already have heart disease.

Stress generates the so-called fight-or-flight response, which causes sharp upticks in heart rate and blood pressure that can strain the heart. For people with heart disease—or for those who are at risk due to factors such as obesity, smoking, and diabetes—such strain can prove harmful, if not fatal.

In the study, which was published today in the journal Clinical Cardiology, researchers analyzed death records in Los Angeles County for the two weeks following the 1980 and 1984 Super Bowls, both of which featured teams from Los Angeles. (The game days were included.) Then, as a control, the researchers looked at the same data from the corresponding days in the intervening years.

In 1980, when the Pittsburgh Steelers staged a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the underdog L.A. Rams, heart-related deaths shot up 15% among men and 27% among women in the subsequent two weeks, compared to the same period in 1981 through 1983. There was also a significant increase in deaths among people ages 65 and older, the study found.

The 1984 Super Bowl was a different story. The L.A. Raiders handily beat the Washington Redskins, and unlike four years earlier, the cardiac death rate didn’t increase after the game. In fact, the death rate for women and older people dropped slightly.

“Fans develop an emotional connection to their team…and when their team loses, that’s an emotional stress,” says the lead author of the study, Robert A. Kloner, MD, a professor of cardiology at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, in Los Angeles. “There’s a brain-heart connection, and it is important for people to be aware of that.”

The apparent link between the Super Bowl loss and heart-related deaths is plausible but largely speculative. Dr. Kloner and his colleagues looked only at death-certificate data, not individuals, and they can’t be sure that the people who succumbed to heart attacks following the 1980 game were Rams fans, or even watched the game.

David Frid, MD, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic who was not involved in the study, agrees that “emotional triggers” can set off heart attacks and other cardiac events. But he’s not convinced that grief caused by the hometown loss was responsible for the spike in deaths.

“Was it due to the fact that the Rams lost?” Dr. Frid asks. “Or was it the emotional roller coaster of the game itself? Does it have to do with the excitement of the event?” health.com

Managing Stress for People with Heart Failure

Think about the times in your life when you've felt stress: maybe while giving a presentation at work, worrying about your children, racing to meet a deadline or arguing with your spouse. Remember how your heart was pounding and you were breathing harder?

People with heart failure need to avoid that kind of physical response to stress. Emotional stress and anxiety make the heart work harder, which can make symptoms worse. That's why patients and their caregivers should work together to keep stress under control.


Naturally, you may feel anxious about your diagnosis and what might happen to you or your family. And everyone has certain stress-causing "triggers" — things such as rush-hour traffic, a demanding boss, finances or family conflict. You may not be able to control all of these challenges, but there are many ways to cope with them better.
• Talk with family, friends, clergy or other trusted advisers about your concerns and stresses and ask for their support.
• Take 15 to 20 minutes a day to sit quietly, breathe deeply and think of a peaceful scene.
• Learn to accept things you can't change. You don't have to solve all of life's problems.
• Count to 10 before answering or responding when you feel angry.
• Don't use smoking, drinking, overeating, drugs or caffeine to cope with stress. These habit make your condition worse.
• Look for the good in situations instead of the bad.
• Get regular physical activity. Do something you enjoy, like walking, swimming, jogging, golfing, walking a pet, tai chi or cycling. Check with your doctor to determine what activity level is right for you.
• Think ahead about what may upset you and try to avoid it. For example, spend less time with people who bother you. If you're still working or volunteering, cut back on your hours and adjust your schedule to avoid driving in rush-hour traffic.
• Plan productive solutions to problems. For example, talk with your neighbor if the dog next door bothers you. Set clear limits on how much you'll do for family members.
• Learn to say no. Don't promise too much. Give yourself enough time to get things done.
• Join a support group – maybe for people with heart disease, for women, for men, for retired persons, or some other group with which you identify.
• Seek out a mental health professional or counselor if you can't cope on your own. Helping people is their specialty. Ask your doctor, family or friends for recommendations. If they can't help, ask your spiritual leader or a hospital social worker for some names.

Source link: www.americanheart.org