Heart-related deaths increase in the United States every Christmas season, but what is behind the spike in cardiac deaths over the holiday period?

Weather And Increased Risk For Heart Attack

Because the holidays fall during the winter season, the increased number of deaths during this time of the year, also known as the Christmas holiday effect, has been attributed to colder temperatures.

Blaming the weather makes sense. For one, the cold temperature can restrict the blood vessels and make the heart work harder. The American Heart Association said that people who already have existing heart conditions are particularly at risk during the winter season since they tend to suffer from angina pectoris characterized by chest pain or discomfort when they are in cold weather.

Findings of a new study, however, debunks the idea that the cold weather is widely responsible for the spike in deaths during the holiday.

Weather Not To Blame For Spike In Cardiac Deaths

In a research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on Dec. 22., Josh Knight, from the University of Melbourne, and colleagues found that the number of deaths also increases even in New Zealand, where Christmas and New Year's day happen during the summer season, crossing out cold weather as the main reason for the death spike during the holidays.

Possible Factors Behind The Christmas Holiday Effect

So what's causing the spike in heart-related deaths in New Zealand? Theories include the effect of the holiday on diet, consumption of alcohol, and stress, although further study is still needed to look more closely into the potential effects of these factors.

The lesser number of staff at medical facilities and changes in the physical environment due to people traveling during the holidays to visit relatives are also potential factors that can explain the spike in cardiac-related deaths.

"The Christmas holiday period is a common time for travel within New Zealand, with people frequently traveling away from the main centers. This could contribute to delays in seeking treatment because of both a lack of familiarity with nearby medical facilities and geographic isolation from appropriate medical care in emergency situations," Knight and colleagues, wrote in their study.

Knight and colleagues added that the reduced age of those who died from cardiac-related deaths during the Christmas season adds weight to the argument that delay in seeking medical care can be a factor to spike in deaths. Displacement of death is also another possible reason that could be behind the Christmas holiday effect.