Associations of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in the populations watching major football tournaments: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND

Whether or not increased hospitalizations and/or deaths due to cardiovascular disease during major football tournaments (MFTs) remains controversial. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies to assess the relationships of cardiovascular events and MFTs.

METHODS

Observational studies reporting relationship of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality with MFTs during the days of games or within 2 weeks after game season were included. Relative risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled and analyzed using a random/fixed-effects model.

RESULTS

Nineteen cross-sectional observational studies that examined the association between MFTs and non-fetal cardiovascular events and mortality were found to be eligible from 3419 references, for inclusion in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Of the 10 studies reported hospitalizations due to non-fetal acute cardiovascular events, the pooled RR was 1.17 (95% CI 1.01-1.36). Of the 10 studies reported cardiovascular mortality the pooled RR was 1.03 (95% CI 1.00-1.05). Of the studies examining the mortality, 6 studies reported the lost or win of the national team. Pooling of four studies where their national teams lost the MFTs produced a RR for the mortality of 1.19 (95% CI: 1.09-1.30), and 4 studies of the 6 whose national teams won produced a pooled RR for cardiovascular mortality of 0.88 (0.79-0.98).

CONCLUSION

This systematic review and meta-analysis showed an increased risk of hospitalization due to non-fetal acute cardiovascular events and cardiovascular mortality with watching MFTs.

The Gillette Stadium Experience: A Retrospective Review of Mass Gathering Events From 2010 to 2015

Objective

Mass gathering events can substantially impact public safety. Analyzing patient presentation and transport rates at various mass gathering events can help inform staffing models and improve preparedness.

Methods

A retrospective review of all patients seeking medical attention across a variety of event types at a single venue with a capacity of 68,756 from January 2010 through September 2015.

Results

We examined 232 events with a total of 8,260,349 attendees generating 8157 medical contacts. Rates were 10 presentations and 1.6 transports per 10,000 attendees with a non-significant trend towards increased rates in postseason National Football League games. Concerts had significantly higher rates of presentation and transport than all other event types. Presenting concern varied significantly by event type and gender, and transport rate increased predictably with age. For cold weather events, transport rates increased at colder temperatures. Overall, on-site physicians did not impact rates.

Conclusions

At a single venue hosting a variety of events across a 6-year period, we demonstrated significant variations in presentation and transport rates. Weather, gender, event type, and age all play important roles. Our analysis, while representative only of our specific venue, may be useful in developing response plans and staffing models for similar mass gathering venues. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:752-758).