News Release

Weekends peak time for heart attacks for young and middle aged men

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BMJ Specialty Journals

Weekends are the peak time for heart attacks in young and middle aged men in France, suggests a study in Heart. Mondays have often been cited as the critical day for heart attacks, with the impending stress of the working week sometimes suggested as a precipitating factor.

The researchers looked at data on heart attack patterns and death rates from registers used for the French arm of the European MONICA study (monitoring trends and determinants in coronary artery disease) and national statistical databases on causes and date of death, for the 10 years between 1987 to 1997.

The findings showed that deaths from heart disease in men aged between 25 and 44 peaked on Saturdays and Sundays. In men aged 45 to 54, death from heart disease also peaked on Sundays. For older men, Monday seemed to be the critical day.

There is no obvious explanation for these findings, comment the authors. It could be that young men engage in strenuous activity at the weekends, so increasing the risk of a heart attack in those who are susceptible.

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