Study links election to heart attacks: 5 tips to avoid

Among physicians, there is no doubt that very stressful events – such as polarized presidential elections – represent an additional risk factor for the heart and can increase the cases of heart attack and stroke.

Research published in recent years shows how stress directly impacts the cardiovascular system — and how recent polls have increased the frequency of chest complaints and emergency room visits.

The good news is that many of these cases can be prevented: cardiologists interviewed by BBC News Brasil say that managing stress, sleeping well, doing physical activity, avoiding exaggeration and being aware of the signs of something more serious are some factors that can prevent damage. larger.

In 2020 alone, 357,000 Brazilians died as a result of circulatory diseases. This is the biggest cause of death in the country.

prepare your heart

Doctor Roberta Saretta, manager of the Cardiology Center at Hospital Sírio-Libanês, in São Paulo, explains that one of the main difficulties in dealing with stress is due to the fact that it is not possible to objectively measure this risk factor.

“Stress is not like blood pressure, cholesterol or smoking, which we can measure through exams”, he compares.

“But it is undeniable that some people will have a cardiovascular impact from this emotional overload related to such a complex moment as the one we are experiencing”, he says.

Below, three cardiologists consulted by BBC News Brazil highlight five attitudes that can make a difference to the heart before, during and after elections.

1. Manage stress

“First of all, it is necessary to differentiate between the things over which we have control and those in which we cannot do something. From there, we can focus on what is possible to change”, differentiates cardiologist Álvaro Avezum, director of the International Research Center Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, in São Paulo.

The doctor says that there are many ways to manage stress, starting with practices such as meditation and mindfulness. Their goal is to focus on the present, the here and now, and stop dwelling on past or future issues.

“We have evidence that individuals who meditate release less adrenaline, have lower blood pressure and heart rate, and cope better with day-to-day stress,” he says.

Establishing times to watch the news or get on social media can also help a lot.

“We need to disconnect a little. Staying connected all the time, even more so in times of such fierce competition, will damage our health”, warns Piscopo.

In more serious cases, when the stress has gone beyond all limits, it may be necessary to start with specific treatments, such as psychotherapy or the use of medication that relieves the emotional burden prescribed by a psychiatrist.

2. Sleep well

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that poor nights sleep are linked to problems such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and obesity — factors that, in turn, directly affect the heart.

In the short term, poor sleep also increases tiredness and irritability. You can notice: if you don’t rest the necessary hours the night before, the day doesn’t pay off and tends to be unprofitable.

“Sleep well in the next few days is a way to find balance”, says Saretta.

But what does this mean in practice? Here, you need to think about quantity and quality.

Overall, adults need at least 7 hours of sleep every day. This period in bed is essential to organize memories and learning, rest and regulate metabolism in the body.

Regarding quality, the experts’ recommendations involve always trying to fall asleep and wake up at the same times, dim the lights at dusk and avoid contact with television and cell phone screens in the two hours before rest.

3. Do physical activity

As with sleep, exercise brings immediate effects and, at the same time, gains for life.

Right after training sessions, the body releases a series of substances that bring the feeling of pleasure and well-being – which is particularly welcome at a time of so much stress.

Regular physical activity is one of the main attitudes to control that series of risk factors that harm the heart, such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 “do between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of more vigorous training” per week.

It is worth remembering that aerobic exercises, such as running and cycling, are those that work large muscle groups and lead to increased breathing and heart rate.

The entity also draws attention to the performance of muscle strengthening activities, such as training with gym equipment.

4. Take care of exaggerations

Saretta points out that, in periods of high tension, it is natural for us to go overboard in many ways.

“When people have their nerves on edge, they tend to get more compulsive and exaggerate in food, alcohol, cigarettes…”, lists the cardiologist.

This, added to the sleepless nights and sedentary lifestyle, represents an extra load on the heart, which can fail and suffer from the blockages that characterize a heart attack.

Therefore, being aware of these exaggerations is the first step to avoid them for the sake of health.

“And that also involves our behavior,” adds Saretta.

“In this context, it is important to assess the situation and not enter into unnecessary clashes, where there is a risk of verbal and physical aggression”, he suggests.

5. Watch out for signs of something more serious

Finally, it is very important that everyone recognizes the typical symptoms of a heart attack or stroke and knows what to do if they present any of them or see someone in such a situation.

In these cases, quick help literally marks the difference between life and death.

“Unfortunately, 50% of people who suffer a heart attack do not arrive at the hospital alive”, laments the doctor Agnaldo Piscopo, director of the Cardiovascular Emergency Training Center of the Cardiology Society of the State of São Paulo (Socesp).

“With a heart attack, it is common to feel pain on the left side of the chest, which radiates to the arm, in addition to cold sweat, nausea, dizziness and malaise”, lists the Socesp cardiologist.

“Other patients have pain in the pit of the stomach and in the back, or are not able to characterize very well where that sensation comes from”, he adds.

In stroke, the most common manifestations are severe headache, paralysis of the face or part of the body, and difficulty reasoning or completing sentences.

“Under no circumstances should the individual lock himself in the bathroom to take a shower or in the bedroom to sleep. It is necessary to notify someone nearby and call the emergency service immediately at number 192”, he says.

If the ambulance takes more than 20 minutes to arrive and there is another possibility to go to an emergency room more quickly (such as a lift from someone who is feeling well), it is best to go to the hospital.

“We usually say that time is heart: every minute lost since the coronary artery was blocked represents 11 days less of life for that patient”, compares the doctor.

Saretta reinforces that these guidelines become even more important in this pandemic period, when many people stopped going to the doctor for fear of Covid or went through financial difficulties and lost access to health plans.

“We have a pent-up demand for cardiovascular diseases that can burst”, observes the doctor.

“Therefore, if you have a perception that something has changed in your health, such as not being able to do a routine activity, feeling exaggerated tiredness or chest pain, it is worth seeking a medical evaluation”, he guides.

Squeeze in the heart

A study carried out by doctors from Kaiser Permanente, a private health service that operates in California, in the United States, in partnership with specialists from Columbia and Harvard universities, revealed that presidential elections are related to an increase in hospitalizations for heart attack, stroke and disability. heart.

The study, which took into account the health information of 6.3 million people, analyzed what happened in the five days after the 2020 US presidential election, in which Democrat Joe Biden won the race against Republican Donald Trump, who sought re-election.

In comparison with a period before the elections, the researchers observed a 17% increase in the rate of hospitalizations for acute cardiovascular diseases shortly after the election.

The American investigation, published in late April 2022 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama), one of the most respected journals in the field, is a repeat of another investigation carried out by the same group in the 2016 elections.

At the time, scientists found an even higher risk: California’s rate of hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease in the two days after that year’s election was 62% higher compared with records from previous weeks.

Although this article has important limitations, such as the fact that it has observed a phenomenon that had already happened in the past and includes only a profile of people who have health insurance, it brings relevant teachings and adds to the knowledge of other previous studies, according to the doctors. .

The main takeaway is that very stressful events, such as a major national political setting or even a World Cup decider, can harm the heart and blood vessels — and there are scientifically validated strategies to reduce the risk of suffering from a serious event. of these, as you have seen in the previous paragraphs.

As the stress hits the chest

Piscopo explains that the decision of who will be the new president of a country makes everyone think about the future and what can change, for better or for worse, from the point of view of the economy, public security, health, education. .

“And all this expectation causes changes in our body. One of the immediate effects of this is the release of adrenaline and cortisol hormones”, he illustrates.

These substances, in turn, promote a series of changes in our cardiovascular system, responsible for pumping blood to all cells. Heart rate accelerates, blood pressure rises, blood becomes more viscous…

Now imagine what all these changes mean for the health of a person who already has high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity. In this context, stress means an additional risk factor for a more serious complication — such as a clogged artery to the heart (heart attack) or a ruptured vein in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).

And this is just one of the explanations that help to understand the relationship between stress and so-called cardiovascular events. In some cases, exacerbated nervousness, by itself, is enough to trigger a serious crisis.

“In so many years of working in the emergency services, I have seen many people have a heart attack after a critical event, such as a marital separation, the news of the death of a loved one, an assault or an inheritance sharing”, recalls the cardiologist.

“In some of these cases, there was no other factor to explain the heart attack. The emotional exposure itself was so great that the patient had a coronary spasm. [a artéria que irriga o músculo cardíaco] and the heart couldn’t take it”, he adds.

In the last two decades, two large international studies known by the acronyms InterHeart and InterStroke have confirmed the role of emotional state in these critical events that shake the cardiovascular system.

“If we managed to somehow eliminate stress, we would avoid 33% of the cases of heart attack and 17% of the episodes of stroke that happen all over the world”, concludes Avezum.

– This text was originally published in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-63386738