The Impact of World and European Football Cups on Stroke in the Population of Dijon, France: A Longitudinal Study from 1986 to 2006

Background: Acute stress may trigger vascular events. We aimed to investigate whether important football competitions involving the French football team increased the occurrence of stroke. Methods: We retrospectively retrieved data of fatal and nonfatal stroke during 4 World Football Cups (1986, 1998, 2002, and 2006) and 4 European Championships (1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004), based on data from the population-based Stroke Registry of Dijon, France. One period of exposure was analyzed: the period of competition extended to 15 days before and after the competitions. The number of strokes was compared between exposed and unexposed corresponding periods of preceding and following years using Poi…