The death of a spouse greatly increases the risk of heart attack or stroke according to a study, which suggests that the mental state of the grieving patient has effects on their body.
How many times have we heard of these spouses who allow themselves to perish after the death of their spouse … A study, published on February 24 in the JAMA Internal Medicine, shows that the body also has difficulty resisting the departure of the loved one. Researchers from St George’s University in London (United Kingdom) have shown that the cardiovascular risk is increased in the first month of mourning.
A peak before a month
Bereavement is a risk factor for death, according to the results of this study. Researchers observed the rate of cardiovascular events in people aged 60 to 89 years. 30,000 lost their spouses during the follow-up, 83,500 did not experience this bereavement.
The risk of heart attack or stroke is doubled in the month following the death of the partner, according to the results: the rate rises to 0.16% of bereaved patients against 0.08% of the general population. After this month, the risk decreases but it remains high. In fact, mortality is 25% higher in the elderly the first year after bereavement. There is also an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome without infarction and pulmonary embolism.
High blood pressure
“Our study confirms the potential of major life events, such as death, to cause a marked increase in the risk of cardiovascular events in the short term,” the study reports.
In an attempt to explain what causes this considerable increase in the risk of stroke or heart attack, the authors mention physical changes. In the short term, blood pressure, cortisol levels, heartbeat or even clotting factor levels change. These are all markers of cardiovascular risk.
The study confirms the hypotheses according to which “bereavement predisposes individuals to a prothrombic state” according to the authors. Another possible reason is that grieving spouses neglect their own needs, which increases the risk of stroke.
It remains to define the means of prevention that make it possible to avoid this type of event. To achieve this, the authors of the study believe, it will be necessary to better understand the psychosocial factors that are linked to the increased risk, in order to improve the clinical care of grieving spouses.
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