DD HEALTH: MARRIAGE HELPS HEART ATTACK SURVIVAL, SAYS STUDY
Being married could improve your chances of surviving a heart attack, according to scientists.
They found that married people are 14% less likely to die after a heart attack than single people.
They are also likely to spend less time recovering in hospital.
The preliminary findings are being presented to the British Cardiovascular Society Conference in Manchester.
The scientists studied 25,287 patients with a heart attack diagnosis that took place between January 2000 and March 2013.
More than 64% of the group were men and the average age was 66.
The researchers are unable to explain why married people are more likely to survive a heart attack. However, they speculate that physical and emotional support after a heart attack may be key.
They say that although previous studies have linked marriage to better recovery after a heart attack, this is the first study to suggest that marital status affects how quickly heart attack patients are discharged from hospital.
Dr Nicholas Gollop, clinical research fellow in cardiology at the University of East Anglia, said:”Our results should not be a cause for concern for single people who have had a heart attack. But they should certainly be a reminder to the medical community of the importance of considering the support a heart attack survivor will get once they’re discharged.”
Commenting on the results, Dr Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation pointed out that a heart attack can have major physical and psychological effects on a person, ‘most of which are hidden from the outside world’.
“These findings suggest the support offered by a spouse can have a beneficial effect on heart attack survivors, perhaps helping to minimise the impact of a heart attack,” he added.
