Heart attack pattern shifted after Katrina

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Heart attacks are usually most common on weekdays and mornings, especially Mondays, but new data analysis shows that pattern reversed in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. “The fact that it’s such a polar opposite shift is really surprising,” lead author Dr. Matthew Peters of Tulane University told Reuters Health. After the storm the overall number of attacks tripled, likely due to an increased number of smokers. They were more likely on weekday evenings and weekends, according to data published in The American Journal of Cardiology. …