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After Hockey Win, Fans’ Heart Attack Risk Rises

Findings show Canadian men, particularly under age 55, face increased hospitalizations after win

FRIDAY, March 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Following a professional hockey game victory, there is an increase in heart attack-related hospital admissions among male fans, according to a study published online March 29 in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

Caroline E. Gebhard, M.D., from University Hospital Basel in Switzerland, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed the association between hockey games of the National Hockey League Montreal Canadiens and daily hospital admissions for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) at the Montreal Heart Institute (June 2010 to December 2014).

The researchers found that a total of 2,199 patients (25.9 percent women; mean age, 62.6 years) were admitted for acute STEMI. The day after a hockey game there was an increase in STEMI admissions in the overall population, but the increase was only significant in men (P = 0.04, versus P = 0.7 in women). The association with STEMI admission rates was strongest following a team victory, particularly among men <55 years (P = 0.009).

“Although a weak association between hockey games and hospital admissions for STEMI was found in our overall population, the event of a hockey game significantly increased the risk for STEMI in younger men,” the authors write. “Preventive measures targeting behavioral changes could positively affect this risk.”

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