Widowed and divorced men more likely to die from heart disease
Widowed and divorced men are at higher risk of dying from serious heartconditions than women in the same situation, researchers say.Meanwhile, divorced men with an irregular heartbeat were 14% more likely to die than divorced women, the study found.
Among married people with an irregular heartbeat, men had a 6% higher risk of dying than women.
But single men appeared to be more likely to survive, with single men withheart failure having a 13% reduced risk of death compared with single women.
Experts found that men whose wives had died were 11% more likely to die from a heart attack than women who had lost their husbands.
Similarly, widowed men were 10% more likely to die from heart failure and 13% more likely to die if they suffered an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) than women in the same position.
Meanwhile, divorced men with an irregular heartbeat were 14% more likely to die than divorced women, the study found.
Among married people with an irregular heartbeat, men had a 6% higher risk of dying than women.
But single men appeared to be more likely to survive, with single men withheart failure having a 13% reduced risk of death compared with single women.
The study follows previous work which found that being married may improve the chances of surviving a heart attack, especially for women.
The new research examined more than 1.8 million people who were admitted to hospitals in the North of England with a heart attack, heart failure or atrial fibrillation between 2000 and 2014, with an average follow-up of 14 years.
It was carried out by experts at Aston University, Birmingham, and waspresented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester.
Dr Ranjit More, consultant cardiologist at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHSTrust and co-author of the study, said:
Professor Metin Avkiran, associate medical director at the British HeartFoundation (BHF), said: "Heart attack, atrial fibrillation and heart failurecan all cut life short."