Singles die earlier of a heart attack

Singles are at higher risk for heart attacks than married couples

31.01.2013

Singles are at higher risk for heart attacks than married people. This resulted in a Finnish study, according to which especially women benefit from a marriage certificate. The scientists also found a significantly lower mortality from heart attacks for married couples. The European Society of Cardiology presented the study on Thursday at Sophia Antipolis in France, pointing out the limited validity of the results.

Singles die more frequently from heart attacks
Scientists at the University of Turku, Finland have recently shown that married couples are less likely to have heart attacks. In addition, the death rate of women and men with Trauschein due to circulatory disorder of the coronary arteries is significantly lower. While 51 percent of single men died within 28 days of a heart attack, only 26 percent of their husbands died. 42 percent of those divorced succumbed to an infarction. Of the single women 43 percent died within 28 days after a heart attack, of the divorced at least 32 percent. The death rate of the wives was well below 20 percent.

„Being single and / or unmarried increases the risk of having a heart attack and worsens the prognosis for men and women regardless of age,“ the researchers write in the journal „European Journal of Preventive Cardiology“. „Increased mortality occurs even before admission to the hospital and does not seem to be related to the type of treatment for myocardial infarction“, it says further in the investigation.

For their study, the team evaluated Dr. Aino Lammintausta compared data from the Finnish Heart Attack Registry FINAMI with 15,330 patients aged 35 to 99 between 1993 and 2002 and compared them to data from a large population register.

Limited informative value of the determined heart attack risk of singles and married couples
However, the validity of the study results is limited by the researchers: „We can not rule out the possibility that people with poor health are more likely to stay alone or get divorced.“ In addition, other factors related to marriage played a role. For example, better financial status, healthier living conditions and social support could have a positive impact. In addition, the study did not collect data from cohabiting but unmarried couples.

Women pay more attention to checkups
As the Gfk in a survey study commissioned by the „pharmacy magazine“ Married couples tend to take more frequent checkups than singles. An explanation for the increased willingness to care for married people could be found in mutual care in the partnership. For example, 72 percent of survey respondents stated that they would be wary of their partner doing the investigation. Further studies have shown that women in particular benefit from preventive medical check-ups and often remind their partners or even arrange doctor's appointments. (Sb)

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