REUTERS: Soccer matches can break fans' hearts - literally

Discussion in 'San Jose Earthquakes' started by Earthquake FC, Jan 31, 2008.

  1. Earthquake FC

    Earthquake FC Member

    Feb 7, 2006
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Soccer matches can break fans' hearts - literally
    Thu Jan 31, 2008 5:21am EST
    By Gene Emery
    http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN3024010020080131

    BOSTON (Reuters) - Watching a big soccer match can strain a fan's heart -- not just figuratively, but literally, German researchers reported on Wednesday.

    After studying the effects of matches during the 2006 World Cup, they concluded that, for German men, the risk of having a heart attack or some other serious heart problem was more than three times higher on days when their team played. It was 82 percent higher for German women.

    Cardiac emergencies usually occurred within two hours of the start of a match, Dr. Ute Wilbert-Lampen of Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich and colleagues found.

    "Viewing a stressful soccer match more than doubles the risk of an acute cardiovascular event," they wrote in their report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

    The researchers said other emotionally turbulent sporting events could likely produce the same effect.

    To gauge the impact, the Wilbert-Lampen team looked at 4,279 medical records from the seven days the German team played, the 24 days when matches involved teams from other countries, and 242 other days in 2003, 2005 and 2006.

    Only Germans found to have some heart problem were included in the tally.

    "Six of the seven games in which the German team participated were associated with an increase in the number of cardiac emergencies over the number during the control period," they wrote.

    The largest number occurred during a June 30 quarterfinal in which Germany defeated Argentina in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. The next game, Germany's semi-final loss to Italy, produced almost as many heart attacks.

    In contrast, Germany's match against Portugal for third place, produced no spike in heart-related problems. Germany defeated Portugal 3-1.

    "Apparently, of prime importance for triggering a stress-induced event is not the outcome of a game -- a win or a loss -- but rather the intense strain and excitement experienced during the viewing of a dramatic match, such as one with a penalty shoot-out," the researchers wrote.

    The researchers suggested that doctors might want to consider increasing the doses of some heart drugs and give fans with heart disease some behavioral therapy for coping with stress if a potentially intense sporting event looms.
     
  2. yalpstel

    yalpstel Member

    Oct 12, 2000
    Bay Area, CA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's because of the heart's increased 02 demand during a stressful event.

    Simply put, the body's sympathetic response to stress releases catecholamines such as epinephrine (adreline) and norepi (both are the fight part of fight or flight). This makes a heart beat faster thereby making the heart's need for 02 more. If there is already a problem in the vasculature of the heart (stenosis due to atherosclerotic deposits) this equals doomsday beacuse the heart can't perfuse itself with enough 02 to keep up the pumping and heart muscle suffers and/or dies (serious ischemia/angina or heart attack!).

    Makes sense and it can relate to any stressful event.

    Interesting a study was done about this related to soccer.
     
  3. methodic

    methodic Member

    Jul 24, 2007
    Rockwall, TX.
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Is this just coming out today? I remember reading this same article about 6 months ago.
     
  4. FUAEG

    FUAEG Member+

    Oct 18, 2005
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Wow. Thanks for holding back on the complicated explanation. :)
     
  5. bsman

    bsman Member+

    May 30, 2001
    MadCity
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Actually, I shouldn't be surprised to find out that incidences of "café coronary" also increased markedly during the viewing of sports events (given the frequent consumption of alcholic beverages along with popcorn, etc.)
     
  6. Albany58

    Albany58 Member+

    Sep 14, 1999
    Concord, CA USA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And, don't forget those German sausages!
     
  7. Schwalker

    Schwalker New Member

    Apr 15, 2007
    Gelsenkirchen/Finja
    Club:
    FC Schalke 04
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    They needed a study to found out this...:eek:

    Incredible, it´s not like they have woken up in the middle of the night and having to run to the bathroom being sick because it´s a derby game coming up.
    Well, that was earlier in my life, before the great God of soccer and everything else pointed out that soccer is incomplete without a few beers as well..:p
     
  8. proud smurf

    proud smurf Member

    Jul 30, 2005
    Uranus
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have only few words to say: Brazil 1950 !
     
  9. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    News flash!! Increased stress is bad for your heart!!
     
  10. KMJvet

    KMJvet BigSoccer Supporter

    May 26, 2001
    Quake Country
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It might be, but the study is just epidemiology. And epidemiology doesnt' give you cause. It gives you only association.
     
  11. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    True, though stress is a likely cause. How sad is it that we are programmed to go into "fight or flight" by watching an event like this that we have absolutely no control over. We need to fine tune this fight or flight thing a bit.
     
  12. yalpstel

    yalpstel Member

    Oct 12, 2000
    Bay Area, CA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Okay then let me rephrase....

     

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