Divorce lifts likelihood of a second heart attack

People who have suffered a heart attack and are divorced are significantly more likely than those who remain married to have a second attack, a study has found.

Research on 30,000 men and women in Sweden who had already experienced one heart attack found that those who had been through a divorce were 14 per cent more likely to suffer another.

Experts said it was not clear whether the heartache of marital breakup had a direct effect, or whether divorced people were less likely to look after their health.

The study, by Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, examined socioeconomic factors including disposable income and level of education, as well as marital status.

Patients who had suffered a heart attack were tracked for four years after being discharged from a cardiac unit. In total, 2405 patients (8 per cent) suffered a second heart attack or stroke.

After adjusting for age, gender, smoking and socioeconomic status, being divorced was associated with the 14 per cent greater risk of a second episode than for married participants.

Being wealthy was the best protection of all, the study found. The group with the highest incomes had a 36 per cent lower risk of a second heart attack than those in the lowest income group.

However, education levels made little difference, according to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Rome yesterday.

Lead author Dr Joel Ohm, a physician, said: ‘‘Are you rich or poor? Married or divorced? That might affect your risk of a second heart attack or stroke.’’