The year 2006 was a dream come true for German soccer fans. Germany hosted the World Cup and finished third before a television audience of more than 1 billion people. German fans were passionate about their team—to the point of danger. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that on days of the German team’s matches, the number of people falling victim to cardiac emergencies in Munich more than doubled. While the risk of cardiac events increased in both men and women, men had nearly twice as many problems as women. Blood tests in these people revealed that the excitement of the games caused high levels of proteins that increase blood pressure and inflammation, which likely contributed to the heart attacks.
Recent studies in the United States find a similar phenomenon with American football, with Super Bowl Sunday doubling as heart attack day in emergency rooms across the country.
The message here: men with coronary heart disease need to be careful when watching emotionally charged sporting events. If you are watching a game and experience chest pain, turn off the television, chew an aspirin and call 911 if you are not better in a few minutes.