Home »  Heart »  Morning heart attacks cause more damage

Morning heart attacks cause more damage

If you suffer a heart attack in the morning, it is likely to be more severe than having one at any other time of day.

Morning heart attacks cause more damage

If you suffer a heart attack in the morning, it is likely to be more severe than having one at any other time of day.

In fact, if the heart attack happens between 6 a.m. and noon, it is likely to damage about 20 percent more heart muscle than a heart attack occurring in the afternoon or evening.

It is well-known for several decades that the incidence of heart attack is variable across the time of the day, with higher incidence in the early morning hours. It has been speculated, though not proven, that the body's circadian clock triggers the release of substances into the bloodstream that make the heart more prone to a heart attack at certain times of the day.

What has been completely unexplored is the effect of the time of the day of onset of the heart attack or the extent of heart muscle death.

For the study, researchers collected data on 811 Spaniards who had heart attacks between 2003 and 2009. Specifically, they looked at the amount of heart muscle damage in relation to the time the heart attack occurred.  It was found that the most damage happened when the heart attack occurred between 6 a.m. and noon, compared with those whose attack occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight.

The researchers determined the amount of damage done to the heart muscle by looking at the amount of two enzymes released during the attack - creatine kinase and troponin-l. People whose heart attack occurred in the morning had 21 percent higher levels of these enzymes compared to those whose attack happened later in the day. Among the patients studied, 269 had morning heart attacks, 240 had their attack in the afternoon, 161 had heart attacks between 6 p.m. and midnight and 141 had an attack between midnight and 6 a.m. In addition, attacks that occurred to the back wall of the heart caused more damage than heart attacks in other locations in the heart.

The findings have important implications. From a treatment point of view, when heart attacks happen in the early morning hours a more aggressive management of the case could result in better outcomes. In addition, knowing that morning heart attacks cause more heart damage might help in developing new drugs that could target the specific causes of these attacks.

However, irrespective of time of day, achieving timely reperfusion of blood with direct intervention or breaking up clots is critical for patients with a heart attack.
COMMENT

DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.

Was this Article Helpful Yes or No

................... Advertisement ...................

 

................... Advertisement ...................

................... Advertisement ...................

................... Advertisement ...................

--------------------------------Advertisement---------------------------------- -