Marriage increases chances of survival after a heart surgery

By marriage, the chances of survival increase after a heart operation

03/08/2012

Various studies have already established a connection between living in a marriage or similar solid partnerships and health factors. Now, US researchers have found that the survival prospects of having a heart surgery are higher among married people than with separated or divorced, widowed or never married people.

According to the US scientists, the heart patients living in a marriage had significantly less anxiety on the one hand and significantly higher chances of survival in the next five years after a heart operation, on the other hand. Relative to the first three months after surgery, the survivor's ratio was around three times higher than that of the singles. In the long run, after all, it was almost twice as high, according to Ellen Idler from Emory University in Atlanta (Georgia) and David Boulifard and Richard Contrada from the State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick (New Jersey) in the journal „Journal of Health and Social Behavior“. The survival benefit for female and male patients was equally high, according to the authors.

Over 500 heart patients examined
In the course of their investigations, the US scientists evaluated the data from the medical records and psychosocial interviews of 569 cardiac patients and also recorded the differences in five-year mortality. This was compared with the relationship status of the cardiac patients, and it turned out that the survivors' chances of survival were significantly higher than those of the single persons. According to Ellen Idler, the difference in mortality was quite „remarkable“. In addition, the researchers also found significant differences between the married and the singles in their feelings in the interaction with the heart surgery. The patients living in a marriage were therefore much more optimistic and less anxious than the single persons.

Positive health effects of marriage or marriage-like partnerships
According to the US researchers, the fact that the survivors' chances of survival after cardiac surgery are significantly higher than those of the single persons is due to the nursing support of their partners. Furthermore, these would also influence the spouse's unhealthy habits (for example, alcohol and tobacco consumption), thereby further improving their chances of survival. With their research, US researchers confirm earlier studies that found a link between living in a solid partnership and positive health effects. The earlier clinical studies have already provided some evidence that marriage and marital partnerships significantly reduce the risk of male cardiovascular disease and overall adult mortality rates are falling, Ellen Idler and colleagues write in their recent review. Also, according to a recent study by Canadian researchers, married men in a heart attack, or the typical stinging in the chest or heart pain, faster in the emergency room, which demonstrably increase their chances of survival. Overall, the positive health effects of a solid partnerships can not be denied, the conclusion of the US researchers. (Fp)

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Picture: Martin Büdenbender