Tension in Argentina: Hospital reports 33 fans suffered heart attacks during World Cup matches
For some, the pressure of the World Cup is simply too much.
The health minister of Tucumán, Luis Medina Ruiz, sat in front of the group of journalists, notepads and cameras both at the ready, to deliver the news. Tucumán is one of Argentina’s 23 provinces, sits in the north-west region of the country, and is normally known for being the world’s largest producer of lemons. But Medina Ruíz was not talking about lemons, he was talking football, and its grave consequences on the population.
“It was a heart-stopping match,” he said, referring to Argentina’s late win over England in the World Cup semi-final, “like all the ones we’ve experienced so far.”
Despite being health minister, and a man presumably used to facing public scrutiny, now was not the time for puns. Which makes me think his choice of words was purely coincidental. It has been confirmed that 2 people suffered heart attacks during the battle between the two nations, taking the total up to 35 for the tournament, a much higher number than the average of 20 cases a month.
“More than 30 emergency calls related to chest pain, high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias”
Argentine news outlet La Gaceta reports that “during the match, the public healthcare system received more than 30 emergency calls related to chest pain, high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias.”
One patient, Media Ruíz explained, “suffered a cardiac arrest” during a consultation, “but doctors were able to resuscitate him. He was then transferred from Avellaneda Hospital to Padilla Hospital, where he underwent surgery and had two stents implanted.”
“The match certainly had something to do with it because all the stress we go through, which fortunately ended well, also takes a toll on the heart,” he concluded.
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