Heart attacks more likely to occur at the beginning of the work week

New figures presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester state serious heart attacks are more likely to occur at the beginning of the working week than at any other time. Doctors at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland analysed data of 10,528 patients across the island of Ireland admitted to hospital between 2013 and 2018 with the most serious heart attack.
This ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) occurs when a major coronary artery is completely blocked. The researchers found a spike in rates of STEMI heart attacks at the start of the working week, with rates highest on a Monday. There were also higher rates of STEMI than expected on a Sunday.
Over 30,000 hospital admissions are due to STEMI each year in the UK. It requires emergency assessment and treatment to minimise heart damage, which is normally performed with emergency angioplasty - a procedure to re-open the blocked coronary artery.
Cardiologist Dr. Jack Laffan, who led the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust research, said, “We’ve found a strong statistical correlation between the start of the working week and the incidence of STEMI. This has been described before but remains a curiosity. The cause is likely multifactorial, however, based on what we know from previous studies, it is reasonable to presume a circadian element.”
Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, said, "Someone is admitted to hospital due to a life-threatening heart attack every five minutes in the UK, so it's vital that research continues to shed light on how and why heart attacks happen.” "This study adds to evidence around the timing of particularly serious heart attacks, but we now need to unpick what it is about certain days of the week that makes them more likely. Doing so could help doctors better understand this deadly condition so we can save more lives in future.”