Anniversary Deaths More Than Coincidental?

Emotional stress is a known trigger for sudden death in individuals with underlying coronary heart disease. A paper presented at the recent American College of Cardiology meeting has presented a new aspect of this. Analysis of 102 sudden deaths in people between 37 and 79 in Venezuela, 13 of them, or 12.7%, occurred on the date of one or both of the individual’s parents’ deaths. Ten of these 13 ‘anniversary’ deaths were in men, and four of the subjects died at the same age as the dead parent.

In some cultures, death anniversaries are taken seriously; a loved one’s passing is commemorated with a religious service or Mass, rather than a social gathering. In others, the anniversary may pass almost unnoticed by the offspring. Over 95% of Venezuelans are Roman Catholics. It would be interesting to know if this phenomenon is observed in non-Catholic countries.

The moderator at the meeting where the paper was presented suggested that, if grieving is less open, sublimated grief can turn into depression, leading an increased risk of a fatal cardiac event. However, this reasoning seems less likely, to my mind, in a Catholic country that in the USA , for instance. Doubtless further analyses will be done, based on this first finding.