Divisive 2016 US election linked to higher risk of heart trouble

[Generic Other]

Researchers say election may have increased abnormal heart rhythms and worsened high blood pressure

How stressful can an election campaign really be? Potentially life-threatening, researchers say, at least in the case of the 2016 US presidential election. The divisive campaign may have raised the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and worsened high blood pressure in people with underlying cardiovascular disease, two studies suggest.

One study focused on nearly 2,500 people (mostly white, with an average age of about 71) with implanted cardiac devices in North Carolina, a swing state in the 2016 election that was subjected to fiercely negative political commercials and campaign events.

Researchers examined the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias (too fast or too slow heartbeats or irregular heart rhythms) in a six-week period spanning before and after the election, and compared it with two six-week control periods June/July 2016 and October/November 2015.

There was a 77% rise in the risk of cardiac arrhythmias during the election phase versus the control periods, even after accounting for factors including age and underlying medical conditions, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

In particular there was an 82% rise in the incidence of atrial arrhythmias, an abnormal heart rhythm that begins in the heart’s upper chambers and can lead to blood clots, stroke and other complications. There was a 60% jump in the rate of ventricular arrhythmias, an abnormal heart rhythm involving the heart’s lower chambers that can lead to cardiac arrest.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/20/divisive-2016-us-election-linked-to-higher-risk-of-heart-trouble

[iemitsu]

1. The 2016 election was a heartache to all decent folk.

[bahboo]

2. yes, between this, 4 years of the orange asshole...

and Covid, my BP is definitely higher. See the doc this Tuesday to get it under control....