Mondays had 13% more fatal heart attacks 2023
According to recent study, fatal heart attacks are most likely to occur at the start of the workweek.
The British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester, UK, discovered that Monday heart attacks were 13% more often than predicted.
The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland examined data from 10,528 patients (7,112 in the Republic of Ireland, 3,416 in Northern Ireland) admitted to hospital between 2013 and 2018 with the most serious type of heart attack, an aortic dissection.
ST-elevation myocardial infarction
A significant coronary artery blockage causes STEMI.
The researchers detected an increase in STEMI heart attacks on Mondays. Sunday STEMI rates exceeded expectations.
“Blue Monday” is yet unexplained by scientists.
Circadian rhythm—the body’s sleep-wake cycle—has been linked to Monday heart attacks.
We identified a robust statistical association between STEMI and workweek start. “This has been described before but remains a curiosity,” said Belfast Health and Social Care Trust cardiologist Dr. Jack Laffan.
“The cause is likely multifactorial, however, based on what we know from previous studies, it is reasonable to presume a circadian element,” he noted.
STEMI requires immediate angioplasty to reopen the blocked coronary artery to minimize cardiac damage.
“This study adds to information concerning the time of very major heart attacks, but we now need to unpick what makes specific days of the week more likely. “Doing so could help doctors better understand this deadly condition so we can save more lives,” said BHF Medical Director Professor Sir Nilesh Samani.
