WINTER The Most Dangerous Season - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2000

According to the National Heart Foundation, if you have cardiac disease, here is one more reason to dread winter--it's the most dangerous season for people with all types of heart conditions. A large French study revealed that deaths from heart failure peak in the winter. After studying the rate of such fatalities over a five-year period, the researchers found that they consistently jump 20% during the month of January. (Heart failure is not the sudden stopping of the heart that its name may imply, but a gradual, progressive lessening of pumping power, which often leads to death.)

Why is winter so dangerous for heart failure patients? It's not from shoveling snow. Researchers think one possible explanation is that respiratory infections like the flu, pneumonia, and bronchitis pose a special threat for people with heart failure. While a bout with the flu can mean a week or two of misery for a healthy person, those with congestive heart failure have the added complication of chronic fluid accumulation in the lungs. This happens because the weakened heart muscle is unable to pump forcefully enough to move blood quickly through the lungs (where it picks up fresh oxygen), and then to the rest of the body. Blood and other fluids pool in the lungs, making breathing difficult and providing a rich breeding ground for viruses and bacteria.

Adding a nasty virus to already fluid-congested lungs can quickly result in complications that could lead to serious infection, further heart failure, and even death, To avoid this scenario, heart failure patients should be careful to stay away from sick people whenever possible and to get a flu shot every year. They should also talk to their doctor about a new vaccine against the common bacterium that causes pneumonia.

Deaths from heart attacks also peak during the holiday season, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. From Thanksgiving to New Year's Day is especially hard on patients with coronary heart disease. Heart attacks strike 33% more times during the holiday months than in an average month. This can't be blamed on cold weather--the USC study included only deaths recorded by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services over a 12-year period.

One possible explanation for such an increase in heart attacks is that, during the holidays, people throw their diets to the wind, indulging in too much salty or sweet food and alcohol. That is not the sole special feature about the holidays. Mixed in with all that merry-making is usually a boatload of stress.

Holiday depression, a common phenomenon, may play a role in exacerbating a heart condition. The relationship between heart disease and depression is not fully understood, but numerous studies have linked the two conditions. Many people, awash in the media-generated onslaught of warm and fuzzy images of family life, feel disappointed and depressed. Elderly people who have lost loved ones, and who are more likely to have heart disease, often grieve and become depressed around the holidays. The depression itself causes an increased risk and may lead some people to escape the pain through even more indulgence in food and drink.

Experts are advising those with heart failure or coronary heart disease to try to resist some of the rush of the holidays, Moreover, while it's hard to completely resist all of the rich food and drink that seem to greet people at every turn, a little moderation could help keep more of them around for next years feast.