The researchers, led by Professor Mama Mama of the British University of Kiel, published in the journal Heart, evaluated 34 published studies from 1963-2015, covering a total of more than two million people aged 42 to 77 years. from all over the world.
The meta-analysis showed that, compared to married people, the unmarried, widowed and divorced have an average of 42% higher risk for cardiovascular disease and 16% more specifically for coronary heart disease. They are also 42% more likely to die of coronary heart disease and 55% more likely to die of stroke.
Divorce is associated with a 35% increased risk of heart disease in both men and women, while widowhood is 16% more likely to have a stroke in both sexes. After a heart attack the risk of death is significantly higher (42%) for unmarried people than for those who have never been married.
Following these findings, the researchers reported that marital status should be included as an independent cardiovascular risk factor. About 80% of this risk can be attributed to known factors (age, gender, hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, etc.), while for the remaining 20% there is more ambiguity.
The new study comes to shed more light, highlighting the importance of the lack of a permanent partner. According to researchers, the protective effect of marriage may be due to the fact that married people recognize a possible health problem earlier and do something about it, follow their medication more faithfully, have better financial security and stability, less loneliness and more social support.