Hospitalizations from Heart Failure are Higher During the Holidays

During the 4 days immediately after Christmas, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and the Super Bowl, the rate of admissions to the hospital for heart failure patients is 11-14% higher than the rest of the month, according to Mahek Shah at the annual meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America.  Dr. Shah speculates that the mechanisms could be the amount of rich, salty foods consumed or it could be delay in seeking medical care at holiday time.  The message is eat healthy snack foods, lower in salt, especially at festivities and family gatherings.

See Dr. Shah’s work analyzing 22,728 patients at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Celebration of HealthAssociation website