NASHVILLE, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The spike in death rates during the holidays has been dubbed by U.S. researchers the "Merry Christmas Coronary."
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville said a national database detailing information on the 53 million U.S. deaths between 1973 and 2001 shows heart disease deaths peak in December and January with spikes on Christmas and New Year's.
Dr. Keith Churchwell of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute said some having symptoms of heart trouble prior to the holiday season may delay going to the doctor.
He also said the holidays make it easy to get off a heart-healthy program of eating and exercise.
"It's the holiday time, you get very busy, the amount of time you spend eating out and eating over at friends and family becomes more than usual," Churchwell said in a statement.
Another factor possibly linked to "holiday heart syndrome" is consumption of more alcohol, which has a toxic effect on the heart muscle and can lead to atrial fibrillation -- an abnormal heart rhythm.
