'Christmas coronary' too often ignored by victims involved in festivities (USA)

"Bob Kernodle thought he pulled a muscle in his neck as he hung Christmas lights outside his home last month. But the pain came suddenly. He got clammy, started sweating. The pain extended to his upper chest. His wife insisted he go to the hospital immediately, though he had never had a single heart problem. The quick response and a six-hour open-heart surgery at Baptist Hospital saved his life from an aortic aneurism. But around the holidays - from Thanksgiving to around New Year's - many people aren't as lucky. That's when doctors around the country see a spike in heart attacks and heart problems because people take on too much and ignore symptoms". Cardiac deaths are about 5 percent higher during the winter holidays than any other time of year, according to the Journal of the American Heart Association"