The winter cold is not the only reason why death rates increase over the Christmas holiday period, according to a study from New Zealand.
The analysis found an increase in death rates in New Zealand during the holiday – even though it is in the middle of summer.
The findings suggest other factors may contribute to an increase in holiday death rates, according to the Australian researchers.
The researchers analysed 25 years of deaths in New Zealand.
This showed a 4.2% increase in heart-related deaths out of hospital between 25 December and 7 January. The average age of victims was 76.2 – compared with 77.1 at other times of the year.
The findings are reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researcher Josh Knight, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, said one possibility is that people who are ill delay seeking help over the holiday.
Mr Knight said: “The Christmas holiday period is a common time for travel within New Zealand, with people frequently holidaying away from their main medical facilities.
"This could contribute to delays in both seeking treatment, due to a lack of familiarity with nearby medical facilities, and due to geographic isolation from appropriate medical care in emergency situations.
"Another explanation may have to do with a terminally ill patients’ will to live and hold off death for a day that is important to them. The ability of individuals to modify their date of death based on dates of significance has been both confirmed and refuted in other studies, however it remains a possible explanation for this holiday effect."
Revisiting the “Christmas Holiday Effect” in the Southern Hemisphere Journal of the American Heart Association 22 December 2016; doi: 10.1161/JAHA.116.005098
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