What would be the odds? 3 Bothers have heart attacks at same time!

Biggins

Strange case in Italy. Three brothers have heart attacks at the same time.
One might be explained by the shock of the other having one ...but the third miles away?
...Thats just strange!

Two Italian brothers suffered fatal heart attacks on the same day, while a third was left fighting for his life in a case that has made headlines in their country.

The bizarre incident happened as Guido Garofalo, 45 and his older brother Alberto, 53, were on a picnic with their wives and children.

First to have a heart attack was Guido who collapsed to the ground in front of the horrified group and as his brother tried to save him, he too grabbed at his chest.

Paramedics were immediately called to the scene at Pianeta di Nicolosi on the slopes of Mt Etna near Catania on the island of Sicily but both were declared dead by the helicopter crew that had arrived to help.

The terrible coincidence then continued as it emerged at the same time a third brother, Salvatore, whose age is not known, suffered a heart attack as he visited their mother in hospital.

Doctors and nurses rushed to help him and he is now recovering in the intensive care unit with staff saying the fact he was in hospital when he had the attack had "probably saved his life."

He has not been informed of his brothers' death and a sister who lives in Rome and who is known to suffer from a heart condition has also not been told.

Dr Thekia Maurhoff, of the Garibaldi hospital in Catania, said: "All three cases are being investigated – it is quite unique and I have never heard of anything similar like this happening three heart attacks in three brothers all at the same time.

"From initial checks it would appear that all three brothers suffered from a heart condition and this lead to them all suffering attacks, virtually at the same time and in two cases they proved to be fatal.

"Salvatore is currently in a stable condition in the intensive care unit of the hospital and his condition is being closely monitored but the fact he was in hospital at the time certainly helped save his life."

Professor Filippo Crea, an expert at the cardiology unit of Rome's Cattolica University, said: "Genetic factors almost certainly played a part in this tragic event as heart attacks in those aged under 60 are usually caused for those reasons

http://www.independent.ie/health/health-news/doctors-baffled-by-three-brothers-all-suffering-heart-attacks-at-the-same-time-2950586.html

So maths people - whats the exact numerical odds on this happening at the same time?

W.Shakes-Beer

<makes half-hearted pun>


To be honest, you'd have a better chance of having a plane land on your house.

Conor108

RIP my heart goes out to the families

Scuid Mhór

maybe they were poisoned...

Skulldigger

It would bother me too.

joshrogan

These sort of stories really get the blood pumping. Anyone who makes a joke about this is heartless.

Joe10000

That's a lot of bother.

starbelgrade

Biggins wrote: »

So maths people - whats the exact numerical odds on this happening at the same time?

14

Logical Fallacy

Clearly the work of some kind of gypsy curse.

Giselle

Three brothers, lots of genetic similarity, same family upbringing re diet and exercise, stress management etc. The fact they all had heart attacks isn't bizarre at all, but the odds of it happening at the same time must be astronomical.

flutterflye

He has not been informed of his brothers' death and a sister who lives in Rome and who is known to suffer from a heart condition has also not been told.

So the siblings haven't been told, but yet they're reporting it in the media??
Way to keep it a secret lads. Well done.

Yakult

The bizarre incident happened as Guido Garofalo, 45 and his older brother Alberto, 53, were on a picnic with their wives and children.

First to have a heart attack was Guido who collapsed to the ground in front of the horrified group and as his brother tried to save him, he too grabbed at his chest.

That I can understand, but freaky that the 3rd brother also got one the same day!

Immaculate Pasta

What would be the odds?

I'd say around 13/2 :cool:

nozzferrahhtoo

Biggins wrote: »

So maths people - whats the exact numerical odds on this happening at the same time?

Who knows but there is no reason to think that the odds are any different than if you picked ANY three people with pre-existing heart conditions and worked out the odds of them all going off at the same time. In fact if anything this case is more likely given they share the same genetic conditions.

It is a human penchant for seeking a pattern than makes the fact they were brothers seem more statistically unlikely and therefore requiring amazement or some special explanation.

For example the similar human pattern seeking tendency makes people think that the chances of the lotto results coming out as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are somehow more unlikely than coming out 1, 7, 11, 31, 32, 39. Many would look at the first pattern and think it somehow more amazing than the second when it is not. At all.

keano_afc

Reminds me of this joke:

"BBC News: 3 cliff walkers fall to their deaths". Wow, what were the odds on them all having the same name?

RachaelVO

That's freaky!!! God love their poor families with two of them dead, but feck that's a very freaky occurance!

Biggins

Thank heavens one was in a hospital at the time.

syklops

Have mob ties been ruled out?

cgarrad

One having a heart attack and the other having one as a reaction is unusual, probably 10,000 to 1,

Third has to die some time, and assuming they are of similar age, then within 5 or 7 years. If seven then its only a (7 * 365) 2,555 to one chance.

Ten thousand times 2,555 is:

25,550,000.

There are 7 billion (7,000,000,000) people so it should be happening all the time :rolleyes:

seamus

3 brothers, presumably of close-ish age, similar diets, upbringing, activity level, genes, etc. All 3 under stress because of an ill family member. One has the heart attack, the other goes into arrest due to the extreme stress (not unlikely), the third is also in a highly stressful situation while visting the sick mother.

The odds are probably much shorter than you'd think - none of the attacks appear to "random".

smegmar

Ugh, I can't get it due to büllshet copyright laws, but I'm sure one of you can dig it up.

<Insert the robot chicken clip of heart attack chain here>

Where To

If you give enough monkeys enough typewriters . . . .

fungun

well its fair to say that one of the brothers prob had his triggered by the other having one - situation would have exacerbated any issues. So odds are prob only slightly more than what it would be for 2 brothers