In a new study, researchers found that widowed and divorced men are more likely to die from serious heart conditions than women.
They found that gender and marital status can influence the survival of some of the most common heart diseases, such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart attack.
AF is the most common form of abnormal heart rhythm.
The research was conducted by a team from Aston University, Birmingham.
In the study, the team examined how marital status influences the death rates of men and women.
They examined 1,816,230 people who were admitted to hospitals in the North of England with a heart attack, heart failure or AF between 2000 and 2014.
They found that widowers (men who have lost their spouse) who suffer a heart attack are 11% more likely to die than widows (women who have lost their spouse).
Similar results were found in widowed men with heart failure (10%) and AF (13%) compared to widowed women with the same heart conditions.
In addition, divorced men with AF were 14% more likely to die than divorced women.
The team also found that in married people with AF, men had a 6% higher risk of dying than women.
But in single men with heart failure, the death risk was 13% lower compared with single women.
The findings support the view that being married may improve the chances of surviving a heart attack, and this is particularly true for women.
They also suggest that widowed or divorced men, and single women, may be most in need of support to help minimize their risk of dying from these heart conditions.
The lead author of the study is Dr. Rahul Potluri.
The study was presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Conference in Manchester.
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