Christmas Has More Fatalities Than Any Other Other Day In The Year

Researchers of a new study found that the death rate on Christmas day is higher than any other day of the year, CNN reports.

Christmas may be a day for celebrations but according to the findings of a new study, it is also a day when the most number of people die. The phenomenon has persisted since the late 1970s, when researchers began looking at death trends throughout the year. Researchers are yet to determine the reason behind this trend. However, several studies have provided a robust collection of many factors ranging from old age and natural causes to understaffed hospitals.

"I've written many stories about a spouse or a partner dying, and then you see the remaining partner die within hour or days or weeks or months," Andrew Meacham, obituary writer for the Tampa Bay Times and president of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers, told CNN. "To me there seems to be a correlation between body and mind here."

Meacham added that he consistently sees a greater workload around the holiday season. According to a Medical Daily report, the most common causes of death during Christmas and extending to the New Year are cardiac disease, respiratory diseases, endocrine/nutritional/metabolic problems, digestive diseases, and cancer.

David P. Phillips of the University of California San Diego sociology department conducted a study to see whether most of these deaths were caused due to staffing issues in hospitals during the holiday season. Since staff is less at medical care centers, there's a higher possibility that the patients go untreated for long durations, leading to their death. He found that this may also be one of the potential causes for the rise in death rates on Christmas. In fact, a 2012 study showed that "patients admitted as medical emergencies on public holidays were 48 percent more likely to die within seven days and 27 percent more likely to do so within 30 days."

"For those deaths, the spike was even sharper," Phillips explained. "Those are the cases where seconds make a difference, and you may see a real difference between the response of a junior and senior member of staff." Coupled with that, Phillips found, were people who did not want to put a damper on their family's holiday spirit, withheld their injury or illness.

According to a Center for Disease Control and Prevention report, 93 percent of deaths on Christmas are natural deaths. Therefore, many experts urge family members to consider their loved ones' emotions with a bit more grace than they might at other times, if that person has recently lost someone. In the end, coming together with family may serve less as an occasion for joy than as a painful reminder of the recent loss.

"We want to make sure we are ready for any phone calls to make sure people are all right in their grief," Stephanie Kohler, family services coordinator at the nonprofit Lory's Place in St. Joseph, Mich., told CNN. "The holidays definitely are a harder time of year for people when this happens, especially since they are such a time steeped in tradition and family."