Health experts at BUPA issued a warning to football fans, ahead of Sunday's game, after research has shown that the risk of heart attacks increased by a quarter during football matches. The game with Ecuador is the first knockout match and could end with penalties.
Tony Urwin of BUPA said: "When people's emotions run high stress levels can shoot up affecting both their heart rate and blood pressure.We are hoping that history does not repeat itself”."If England gets knocked out from the penalty spot again as they did against Germany and Argentina there is a risk for some that their health could be seriously affected by this tension time-bomb."
"Remember it is just a game." he added
"We know that intense emotional distress, whatever the cause, can trigger a heart attack in people with established coronary heart disease. Of course, if you have heart disease and you're a big football fan, there's no reason not to enjoy the game - just try to stay as calm as you can during those exciting shootouts."Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, of the British HeartFoundation,said.
