General elections in Malta are such heart-racing, nail-biting events that the chance of suffering a heart attack or dying during this period escalate drastically, according to a unique study.
An election is not a matter of life or death, but its effects can be deadly
Hospital admissions for heart attacks and angina were significantly higher in the weeks before and after the 2008 election, while deaths from coronary heart disease practically doubled the week after the result was out.
This is the first study of its kind anywhere in the world that measures the impact political elections have on the heart, further confirming the relationship between stress and heart attacks.
The study, Acute Cardiac Coronary Events and Stress Generated at a Population Level, was conducted by a five-strong team led by cardiologist Mark Sammut and submitted recently as part of his M.Phil.
Fresh from a year’s fellowship in Germany where he was studying electrophysiology – the electrical function of the heart, Dr Sammut told The Sunday Times the data that emerged was even more unique because it was measured on a national level.
It would be hard to replicate this study anywhere else. Malta, he said, provided the ideal scenario for this study as there was just one general hospital, and a general election provided the ideal stressor as it sparked a high degree of passion and emotion.
The fact there was such a high voter turnout on the island also helped.
Dr Sammut said four control periods were chosen to track cardiac events – the 2008 election period, taking four weeks before and two weeks after the result; six weeks during the Euro 2008 football tournament as another stressor; and two quiet periods where there were no obvious stressors: six weeks before the election and the football matches, and one year after the election.
“It turns out that elections can kill you and football is better for your heart,” Dr Sammut said.
The study revealed that the number of people admitted with acute cardiac coronary events during the 2008 election period soared to 184, compared to 127 during the Euro 2008 football championship.
During the quieter control periods, admissions stood at 117 and 130, clearly showing the tense general election got hearts palpitating faster, landing them in hospital or the morgue – and these people were never susceptible to heart disease.
There were 25 people who died of a heart attack in the week after the 2008 general election, compared to 13 deaths during the Euro 2008 and 12 each in the other two quieter periods.
“People would have made bets and after the election result they would be settling their debts, which can be one of the reasons behind the deaths,” Dr Sammut said.
The 2008 election was particularly more stressful, because the result was so close and more drawn out – with just a 1,500-vote majority, the Nationalist Party claimed a wafer-thin victory in the closest general election result since 1966.
“The results are important from a medical point of view because they confirm that stressful events can and do increase the incidence of heart attacks at a national level,” he said.
The results have been so encouraging that Dr Sammut said he was considering replicating this study during the upcoming general election to glean more data.
It was important for doctors and health authorities to be aware of this study, he said, and warn people that excess stress was bad for their heart’s health.
“It is important we realise that excess stress can harm you and people should avoid getting so worked up during a general election.
“An election is not a matter of life or death, but its effects can be deadly.”
The team working on this study included Prof. Joseph Cacciottolo, Prof. Albert Fenech, Dr Kathleen England, and Dr Neville Calleja.