A Consideration of the Myth of the Lunar Effect on the Myocardial Infarction: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction: In our medical center, we observed that myocardial infarction of proximal lesions occurs more frequently on some days and distal lesions occur more frequently on others. Along with this curiosity, our aim was to study whether the lunar cycle, location and distance from the Earth are related with the location of coronary occlusion, myocardial infarction type, and the shear force. Materials and Methods: The movements of the lunar cycle day by day, hour by hour, and the Moon’s distance from the Earth, were calculated. These parameters were then compared with myocardial infarction subtypes and culprit lesion location. Results: Culprit lesion location (the distance from the coronary artery ostium and the vertical/horizontal direction according to Earth’s gravity line) was not statistically significantly different according to the position of the Moon (p=0.32 and p=0.49). In the subgroup analysis, there was a statistically significant difference between the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery according to the Moon’s hourly movement (p=0.02). Conclusion: In conclusion, our analysis found that there is no association between culprit lesion location and the mechanical effects of the lunar cycle.