Why Are Heart Attacks More Frequent In December And January?

Heart attacks increase in December and January, but it may have more to do with the warning signs than the weather.

By Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi
Jan 16, 2023 8:00 PM
Heart attack
(Credit:Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock)

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January can be a bleak month. The weather is cold, the skies are gray and there is a persisting spike in heart attacks.

Researchers have identified that people are more heart attack prone in January and December than in other months of the year. This phenomenon doesn’t appear to be weather-related, and scientists are trying to learn why more people succumb to cardiac events during this time.

Scientists urge people to learn the symptoms of a heart attack and not ignore any warning signs — especially during heart attack season.

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