The effect of lunar phases on the occurrence of acute cardiovascular diseases

This paper analyzes the possible impact of lunar phases on the dynamics of acute cardiovascular diseases: acute myocardial infarctions (MIs) and acute brain strokes (BSs) at different levels of heliogeomagnetic activity. The superposed epoch analysis (SEA) has been applied with dates of the new moon and full moon used as reference days. A statistical analysis of a 14-year-long (1992 to 2005) series of everyday medical data from the Central Clinical Hospital no. 1 of Russian Railways (Moscow) and the parameters of heliogeomagnetic activity was carried out. It was found that daily occurrences of MIs and BSs vary with the phase of the moon. These variations are significant; they continue at different levels of heliogeomagnetic activity and are not related to the variations in geomagnetic activity identified by the same method. The effect of lunar phases on MIs and BSs is quite different. New moons and full moons have qualitatively the same effect on MIs; however, there are significant differences in the incidence of BSs during new moons and full moons.