Marriage may lessen the risk of heart failure in males, study says

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Feb 09:46
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Bachelors are twice as likely to die in around 5 years after being diagnosed with heart failure as opposed to married men.

A man puts an engagement ring on a woman's finger during a photo opportunity at a jewelers store in Tokyo June 2, 2009. (Reuters)

According to a study soon to be presented in the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology in March, married men face a lesser risk of dying due to heart failure.

A study released by the American College of Cardiology indicates that bachelors are twice as likely to die in around 5 years after being diagnosed with heart failure, as opposed to married men suffering from heart failure or even women, whether married or not.

“There is a relationship between a person’s relationship status and their clinical prognosis [with heart failure], and it’s important to figure out why that is,” said the study’s lead author Katarina Leyba, MD, resident physician at the University of Colorado.

“As our population is getting older and living longer, it’s imperative to determine how to best support the population through the aging process, and that might not be as easy as taking a pill. We need to take a personalized and holistic approach to support patients, especially with a chronic disease process like heart failure.", Lebya added.

The researchers reached these findings after conducting a study on 6,800 American adults whose ages range between 45 and 85 years.

In addition, the study showed that widowers and men who got divorced or separated did not portray the same heightened risk of death as those who never got married.

For women, however, marital status did not affect their risk of death in terms of heart failure.