Exciting football games could trigger heart attacks

London, Jan 31 : Watching dramatic and exciting games of football could trigger a stress-induced event, especially heart attacks, according to a new study.

In a study conducted during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, researchers reported that men are three times more likely to have heart attacks on days when their national football team is playing in a key match.

The German research team suggested that proper medication and treatment should be given to patients with a known history of heart disease, before letting them watch major football matches.

The researchers showed that heart problems shot up immensely on the day Germany beat Argentina in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out, followed by the semi-final, when the hosts were knocked out in extra-time by Italy.

"Apparently, of prime importance for triggering a stress-induced event is not the outcome of the game - a win or a loss - but rather the intense strain and excitement experienced during the viewing of a dramatic match, such as one with a penalty shoot-out," the Telegraph quoted the report, as stating.

The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

ANI