UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Media release
Warning: Penalty shoot-outs can seriously damage your health

Watching penalty shoot-outs can have serious consequences for the health of football fans, according to research by the Universities of Bristol and Birmingham.

Hospital admissions for heart attacks increased by 25% when England lost to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out during the 1998 World Cup, says a study published in the British Medical Journal today.

Professor Shah Ebrahim and colleagues examined hospital admissions for heart attack, stroke, deliberate self harm, and road traffic injuries on the day of England's World Cup matches and five days after. They then compared these figures with admissions at the same time in previous and subsequent years and in the month before the tournament.

While there was no sign of an increase in other medical problems, admissions for heart attacks increased by 25% on 30 June 1998 - the day of the England-Argentina match - and the two following days. This amounted to 55 extra people suffering heart attacks. Admissions were slightly higher among men than women.

Professor Ebrahim said: "Given the intense rivalry between England and Argentina, and the fact that this was a knock out game, football fans would have experienced a lot of tension before and during the match.

"The resultant increase in hospital admissions supports the view that heart attacks can be triggered by emotional upset."

The full paper can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

Admissions for myocardial infarction and World Cup football: database survey

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Email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk
Copyright: 2002 The University of Bristol, UK
Updated: Friday, 20-Dec-2002 10:16:45 GMT