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Avoid Heart
Attacks – Seniors Shouldn’t Watch Sports
Dec. 19, 2002 - Maybe senior citizens should not watch sporting
events. British researchers say close contest seem to increase heart
attacks.
Heart attacks increased by 25% when England lost to Argentina in a
penalty shoot-out in the 1998 World Cup, concludes the study in this
week's Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal.
These findings support the view that heart attacks can be triggered by
emotional upset, such as watching your football team lose an important
match, particularly those in which there is a penalty shoot out.
Researchers examined hospital admissions for heart attack, stroke,
deliberate self harm, and road traffic injuries on the day of, and
five days after, England's World Cup matches, compared with admissions
at the same time in previous and following years and in the month
before the tournament.
Risk of admission for heart attack increased by 25% on 30 June 1998
(the day England lost to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out) and the
following two days. No excess admissions occurred for any of the other
diagnoses or on the days of the other England matches. Admissions were
slightly higher in men than women.
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