Stocks could trigger heart attacks

Atlanta: Stock market slides may hurt more than your savings. New research suggests they might prompt heart attacks.

Duke University researchers found a link between how a key stock index performed and how many heart attacks were treated at their North Carolina hospital shortly after the recession began in December 2007 through July 2009, when signs of recovery emerged.

The trend weakened after they did a second analysis taking into account seasons of the year. Some research suggests heart attacks are more common in winter, meaning the initial finding could have been a statistical fluke.

However, leading scientists unconnected with the work said they found it plausible and worth further research in a nationwide study.

"I do think there's merit to their first-round conclusion," said Dr James McClurken of Temple University in Philadelphia. He is chairman of the American College of Cardiology's annual conference, where the study results were released yesterday.