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March Madness a Heartbreaker?

Watching Your Team Lose Can Trigger Cardiac-Related Death

By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

March 30, 2009 (Orlando) -- March madness can be a killer, all right.

Researchers have found that watching your favorite team lose a championship game can be downright deadly -- especially if it’s a last-minute upset.

“The emotional stress of losing to high profile rivalry can trigger [heart-related] death,” says Robert Kloner, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

His team’s study showed that compared with other years, deaths rose by 17% in Los Angeles County in the two weeks following the L.A. Rams’ defeat in the epic Super Bowl battle of 1980. Heart-related deaths increased by 22%.

It was a game to remember. The lead changed hands no fewer than seven times, and the underdog Rams entered the fourth quarter ahead. Two touchdowns later, the Pittsburgh Steelers emerged as the champions, slamming the Rams 31-19.

In contrast, deaths declined by 6% in the county after the L.A. Raiders beat out the Washington Redskins for the title game four years later.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data on death rates in Los Angeles County for the day of and the two weeks after the Super Bowl. They were compared with death rates for all other days from Jan. 15 until the end of February for 1980 to 1983 and for 1984 to 1988.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

Football Fans Aren’t the Only Ones at Risk

This isn’t the first study to show that watching a sporting event can impact your health. Last year, German researchers reported an increased rate of cardiac emergencies among fans watching their national team play -- and eventually lose -- the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

On the flip side, another study showed that deaths from heart attacks dipped when France won the World Cup in 1998.

The stress of defeat may be a trigger for cardiac events, and the euphoria of winning may be heart-healthy, Kloner says.

With the NCAA championships in full swing, obsessed fans need to be aware of the associated heart risks, says Claudio Schuger, MD, co-chair of the committee that chose which studies to highlight at the meeting and a heart specialist at Wayne State University in Detroit.

“Any situation that drives an enormous amount of stress -- from an earthquake to a championship game - can trigger a cardiac event,” Schuger says.

“But healthy people don’t just drop dead,” adds meeting co-chair Hani Sabbah, PhD, director of cardiovascular research at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

“Patients who are susceptible to heart disease are those who are at risk,” he tells WebMD. “If you have any concerns, talk to your doctor,” Sabbah advises.