Research claims fatal heart attacks more common on Mondays

Fatal heart attacks are more likely to happen at the start of the working week than at any other time, a report by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said on Monday (June 5) citing research that was presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester. Doctors at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland analysed the data of over 10,000 patients across the country hospitalised between 2013 and 2018 with the most serious type of heart attack- known as an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

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. Till now, scientists have been unable to explain why this “Blue Monday” phenomenon occurs.

Previous studies, meanwhile, suggested that heart attacks are more likely on a Monday and have highlighted an association with circadian rhythm – the body’s sleep or wake cycle.

Over 30,000 hospitalised due to STEMI each year in UK

The BHF report on Monday said there have been more than 30,000 hospital admissions due to STEMI each year in the United Kingdom (UK), adding it requires emergency assessment and treatment to minimise damage to the heart, and this is normally performed with emergency angioplasty.

What do experts say?

“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," Cardiologist Dr Jack Laffan, who led the research at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, said.

Dr Laffan added the cause is likely multifactorial, and based on previous studies, it is reasonable to presume a circadian element.

The BHF's Medical Director Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, meanwhile, said the research 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."

“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," Samani said.

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