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Divorce may raise risk for acute MI
Results of a new study suggest that divorced men and women have a significantly greater risk for acute MI compared with continuously married adults, and multiple divorces further increase risk in women.
Researchers analyzed a prospective cohort of 15,827 ever-married adults aged 45 to 80 years in the ongoing Health and Retirement Study. Biennial follow-up was conducted from 1992 to 2010 (total follow-up, 200,524 person-years). At baseline, 14% of men and 19% of women were divorced and one-third of participants were divorced at least once during their lifetime.
The primary outcome of the study was the age-specific incidence of acute MI. During follow-up, acute MI was reported in 7.7% of the total cohort. Age-specific acute MI rates were significantly higher among adults who were divorced compared with those who remained married (P < .05). This rate also was increased in women who remarried after divorce compared with women who remained continuously married.
Compared with continuously married women, the risk for acute MI was significantly greater for women who had one divorce (adjusted HR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.01-1.55), two or more divorces (adjusted HR = 1.77; 95% CI, 1.3-2.41), were currently divorced at the time of analysis (adjusted HR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.04-1.78) and who had remarried after divorce (adjusted HR = 1.35; 95% CI, 1.07-1.7).
Among men, only those with two or more divorces had a significantly increased risk for acute MI compared with continuously married men (HR = 1.3; 95% CI, 1.02-1.66).
According to the researchers, the associations between marital status and acute MI were not accounted for by behavioral, physiological, psychosocial or socioeconomic factors.
The risk for MI associated with multiple divorces among women was comparable to that for smoking (HR = 1.53; 95% CI, 1.21-1.93), hypertension (HR = 1.73; 95% CI, 1.38-2.17) and diabetes (HR = 1.81; 95% CI, 1.44-2.28).
“The current study is the first to demonstrate the longitudinal association between divorce and [acute] MI and extends our understanding of lifetime exposure to social stressors and cardiovascular risks. The results of this study contribute to mounting evidence that [acute] MI risks associated with social stressors are of the relative magnitude of established risk factors such as smoking, diabetes and hypertension,” Matthew E. Dupre, PhD, of Duke Clinical Research Institute at Duke University, and colleagues wrote.
The researchers noted that further research on mechanisms that might contribute to the association between divorce and CV risk are warranted. – by Adam Taliercio
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.