Health Married people usually live longer than singles

Marital status with significant influence on mortality risk
Living in a solid partnership has positive effects on health at various levels. This also applies to the risk of premature death in patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes or so-called hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels), according to a recent study..

The research team around Dr. Paul Carter from Aston Medical School examined the effects of marital status on the mortality risk of various underlying diseases and found that married patients had a significantly lower risk of death within the study period than singles. The protective effects of marriage are likely to be based on increased social support, which, among other things, leads to a healthier lifestyle and improved use of the drug. The researchers presented their study results at the British Cardiovascular Society conference.

Living in a marriage has significant health benefits for patients with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or hyperlipidemia. (Photo: Robert Kneschke / fotolia.com)

Effects of marital status examined
It has already been known that married patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are at lower mortality risk than single persons. In the current study, researchers have now used data from 929,552 subjects to investigate how marital status affects mortality in patients with high blood pressure, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Among the study participants were 16,831 patients with hypertension, 53,055 with hyperlipidemia and 68,098 patients with type 2 diabetes.

Married with significantly lower mortality rates
For all three complaints (high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, diabetes) mortality was highest among widowed subjects within the 14-year observation period, the researchers report. This also applied with regard to age, sex, ethnicity and other risk factors. Single adults also had significantly increased mortality over the study period. However, married people with high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia or type 2 diabetes showed significantly below-average mortality rates.

Social support is a crucial advantage of marriage
The researchers conclude that single patients with modifiable risk factors experience significantly higher mortality rates compared to married patients. The protective effects of marriage are probably attributable to better social support. Here it becomes clear that an increased social support is required for individual patients with modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, so the conclusion of the physicians. (Fp)