Why marriage really IS good for you: Single or divorced people who undergo heart surgery are 40% more likely to die than those with a spouse
- Researchers looked at 1,576 cardiac surgery patients since 1998
- It found spouses provided support in aftercare and choosing suitable care
- Researchers hope it will identify most at risk of postoperative problems
When it comes to matters of the heart, it seems those who tie the knot really do fare better.
Married patients who undergo heart surgery make better recoveries than their divorced or single counterparts, a new study suggests.
Those who were divorced, separated or widowed were 40 per cent more likely to die or develop a life-impeding disability two years after the operation, researchers found.
Married people who underwent heart surgery were more likely to survive without complications than those who wre divorved, single or widowed, according to the University of Michigan research
They believe that a partner's support in aftercare and choosing a suitable hospital for the operation could explain the results.
The findings suggest those who have their spouse in their mind as they go under the knife are more likely to wake up with healthier hearts and no side effects.
Researchers hope the results could lead to identifying individuals at risk from postoperative problems and performing interventions to improve recovery.
The study, published in JAMA Surgery, involved 1,576 cardiac surgery patients from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, which has enrolled almost 30,000 adults over 50 since 1998.
At the time of the study, 65 per cent were married, 12 per cent were divorced or separated, 21 per cent were widowed and 2 per cent had never been married.
They found the married patients were less likely to be ill with another kind of illness or disability before their surgery.
Divorced people, singletons and widows were 40 per cent more likely to die or develop complications within two years of surgery than married patients, scientists found
When the participants were interviewed after the surgery 19 per cent of the married participants had either died or developed a new disability.
This was compared with 29 per cent of those who were divorced or separated, 34 per of widowed patients and 20 per cent of the spinsters.,
Specifically, these disabilities meant they were unable to perform independent tasks such as dressing, walking and eating.
Professor Mark Neuman, of the University of Pennsylvania, said: 'These findings extend prior work...suggesting postoperative survival advantages for married people and may relate to the role of social supports in influencing patients' choices of hospitals and their self-care.
'They add that their findings suggest that marital status is a predictor of survival and functional recovery after cardiac surgery.
'Further research is needed to define the mechanisms linking marital status and postoperative outcomes.'
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