You know those fatty and fried appetizers on the party buffet are bad for you. Holiday shopping bills and pesky family members bring on boatloads of stress.
Dr. Kelly Larkin, ER medical director at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, says December may be a time to celebrate religious holidays, but it’s also a time when emergency rooms see a sizable increase — 18 percent — in heart attacks and other heart-related deaths.
Dr. Kelly Larkin, ER medical director at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, says December may be a time to celebrate religious holidays, but it’s also a time when emergency rooms see a sizable increase — 18 percent — in heart attacks and other heart-related deaths.
The worst days of the month? Today, Saturday and Jan. 1.
Larkin says that between already poor diets taking a nosedive, too much alcohol consumption and stress from relatives or trying to create the perfect holiday in a bad economy, many people drive themselves straight to a heart attack.
If you’re perfectly healthy, an extra plate of food isn’t likely to kill you. But if you have underlying risk factors such as undetected heart disease, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, listen up.
Q: Who’s most at risk for a heart attack right now?
A: It could be someone who has no idea they have heart disease, but there have to be some underlying risk factors. Maybe they haven’t had a stress test like they’re supposed to or maybe they’ve missed some of their meds because they’re traveling. Maybe they have high cholesterol or high blood pressure and aren’t having it treated.
Q: You mention poor dietary habits and fatty or heavy meals as a trigger. What are the bad boys of the season?
A: Anything high in saturated fats (fats that are solid at room temperature). Fried appetizers, puff pastries wrapped around all kinds of things. Any fatty meal that’s a bigger meal than usual. The lining of your arteries can work improperly for six to 12 hours after you eat these things. Get a spasm in a heart vessel, and that’s all it takes.
Q: Holidays are all about being with family, but sometimes that’s the biggest part of stress, right?
A: I’ve heard people say stress can literally break your heart. Around the holidays families tend to cause stress, because that’s just the way families are. Add in the economy, and it could be another trigger for a heart attack.
Q: What heart attack trigger would most surprise people?
A: Smoke from a fireplace. Fine particulates from the smoke can get in your lungs and trigger a clot, which can lead to a heart attack. It’s not the heat from the fire that’s the problem, just the smoke, so if there’s smoke, sit at least 6 feet outside of it.
Q: What if you see symptoms in someone who asks you not to call 911?
A: People tend to downplay the symptoms and don’t want to bring attention to themselves, especially if they’re in a big group or out in public. Call 911, and let the experts decide if there’s something wrong.
Orignal article from https://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/health/6786658.html by diane.cowen@chron.com