Heart Attack Risk Increases After Divorce

Although many people who have experienced a divorce are familiar with the feeling of heartbreak, they may not realize the possibly detrimental effect of a divorce on their heart health.

A recent report from the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina indicates that people face an increased risk of heart attacks throughout the remainder of their lives if they have previously experienced a divorce.

Researchers, who controlled for age, behavior, health and socioeconomic status, found that both women and men were more likely to suffer a heart attack if they had been divorced. For women, one divorce was enough to produce this effect, whereas men who had been divorced two times or more suffered additional risks.

Remarriage among men appeared to reduce their risk. Women who remarried were still 35 percent more likely to suffer an attack over women who remained married continuously. For women, being divorced two times or more created risks equivalent to those suffering from diabetes or high blood pressure.

Researchers indicate that while marital loss has a more dramatic impact on women’s health than men’s, the reasons are not entirely clear. Some suggest that women face greater economic losses and more emotional distress. Men also tend to remarry sooner after splitting up than women. Additionally, the loss of a martial relationship may adversely affect the cardiovascular system. In any case, the risk is similar in severity to the link between heart attacks and job loss and unemployment.

In the course of this study Duke University researchers studied more than 15,000 people between the ages of 45 to 80 during the years of 1992 and 2010. By the study’s end, nearly a third of the subjects had experienced a divorce.

To help reduce the stress of going through a divorce, work with a dedicated Long Island family law attorney at Bryan L. Salamone & Associates today. 

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