Researchers from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland announced today that fatal heart attacks are more common on Monday than at any other time of the week.
According to experts, science is still not able to explain why this phenomenon occurs, and they recalled that myocardial infarction is the most serious of all. The same is true when a major coronary artery is completely blocked.
They caution that immediate evaluation and treatment is needed to minimize damage to the heart, and that this is usually done through emergency angioplasty, a procedure to reopen a blocked coronary artery.
The researchers found an increase in the rate of heart attacks of this type early in the work week, with the rate being higher on Mondays.
The cause is probably multifactorial; although professionals lean towards a theory related to a circadian element.
Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and darkness and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes.
Chronobiology is the study of circadian rhythms. An example of a circadian rhythm related to light is sleeping at night and being awake during the day.
“This research adds to the understanding of when most severe heart attacks occur, but now we need to figure out what specific days of the week make them more likely,” the scientists commented.
This, the experts emphasized, could help health workers better understand this deadly disease in order to save more lives in the future.