title: Admissions for myocardial infarction and World Cup football: database survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine hospital admissions for a range of diagnoses on days surrounding England's 1998 World Cup football matches.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of hospital admissions obtained from English hospital episode statistics.
  
  
  METHODS
  England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population aged 15-64 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ratio of number of admissions for acute myocardial infarction, stroke, deliberate self harm, and road traffic injuries on the day of and five days after England's World Cup matches, compared with admissions at the same time in previous and following years and in the month preceding the tournament.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Risk of admission for acute myocardial infarction increased by 25% on 30 June 1998 (the day England lost to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out) and the following two days. No excess admissions occurred for other diagnoses or on the days of the other England matches. The effect was the same when only the two days after the match were treated as the exposed condition. Individual analyses of the day of and the two days after the Argentina match showed 55 extra admissions for myocardial infarctions compared with the number expected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increase in admissions suggests that myocardial infarction can be triggered by emotional upset, such as watching your football team lose an important match.
authors.affiliation: School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: Shah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ebrahim
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tilling
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Macleod
authors.forename: George Davey
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012916:Soccer / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology