Emotional stress has been linked to acute coronary events. We examined whether the emotional response to elections in Puerto Rico induced a similar response.
Methods: We reviewed records at HIMA San Pablo Hospital (HIMASP) and Ramon Ruiz Arnau University Hospital (HURRA) in Bayamon and identified patients admitted with ICD-9 codes 410, 411, and 413 or corresponding diagnoses during a period surrounding the general elections and compared them with the same time period in non-election years.
Results: Cardiovascular events accounted for 3.24% of election-year admissions vs. 5.51% during non-election years in HURRA (p=0.036, N=37), while accounting for 2.86% of election-year admissions in HIMASP vs. 3.27% during non-election years (non-significant).
Discussion: There was a trend towards a lower rate of admission for cardiovascular events during general elections in both hospitals, reaching statistical significance at HURRA. Further study may elucidate reasons for this behavior and determine whether similar trends hold true in other populations.