If you've ever been so excited watching a football or hockey game, you felt you could just die, you may be more right than you might have wanted to think.
-- A new study suggests the stress and excitement of major sporting events can trigger heart attacks among fans, especially those with known heart conditions.
German researchers tracking cardiac emergencies during the 2006 World Cup of Soccer (which Germany hosted), found that on the days when Germany played, the rate of cardiac events, such as heart attacks, angina attacks or cardiac arrhythmias was 2.66 higher than the norm.
The rate of such events among women was 1.82 times higher than average, while the rate for men was a whopping 3.26 times higher than normal.
Dr. Scott Delaney, an emergency room and sports medicine physician with the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, says it appears that the hearts of many sports fans simply can't handle the stress.
"During the period of stress, the heart beat and blood pressure get increased. And what's funny is it doesn't matter whether they are winning; it's just the actual stress of the whole process that seems to predispose them to cardiac events," he told Canada AM.
Delaney says he's a little worried about what will happen at ERs across Canada this weekend, when the New York Giants confront the undefeated New England Patriots. Source...
