It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s also a time when heart attacks and strokes spike. Research shows heart attacks spike by 30% to 40% in the last two weeks of the year.
Whether it’s because of the cold weather, holiday and family stress, lack of routine or all of the above, heart attack and stroke rates spike during the last two weeks of December, said Northwestern Medicine cardiologist Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones.
We know viruses are on the rise as we head into the holiday season, but cardiologists want us to know that there is also an increased risk of heart attacks at this time of year.