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The impact of marital status on survival after an acute myocardial infarction: a population-based study
Insights
Married individuals experiencing acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) show significantly better survival rates. This includes both in-hospital and long-term outcomes, regardless of other contributing factors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Sociomedical Sciences
Background:
- Marital status is a significant social determinant of health.
- Previous research suggests a correlation between social support and cardiovascular event outcomes.
- The impact of marital status on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) survival requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of marital status on in-hospital and long-term survival rates following an acute myocardial infarction.
- To determine if the association between marital status and AMI survival persists independently of other risk factors.
Main Methods:
- A nonconcurrent prospective study was conducted involving 1401 patients with acute myocardial infarction in the Baltimore, Maryland area.
- Patients were categorized as 'married' or 'unmarried' at the time of their myocardial infarction.
- Survival rates were analyzed for in-hospital outcomes and through a 10-year follow-up of 888 discharged patients.
Main Results:
- Married males had a lower in-hospital case fatality rate (19.7%) compared to unmarried males (26.7%, p < 0.05).
- Married females also exhibited a lower in-hospital case fatality rate (23.3%) versus unmarried females (37.4%, p < 0.05).
- A 10-year follow-up revealed significantly better survival for married individuals (males: p < 0.0001; females: p < 0.025) compared to unmarried counterparts.
Conclusions:
- Marital status is independently associated with improved survival outcomes after acute myocardial infarction.
- Married men and women demonstrate significantly better short-term and long-term prognoses post-AMI.
- These findings highlight the protective role of marriage in cardiovascular health outcomes.
Abstract:
A nonconcurrent prospective study was conducted in the metropolitan Baltimore, Maryland, area to examine the influence of marital status on the in-hospital and long-term survival rate of 1401 patients who experienced an acute myocardial infarction. Patients were classified as "married" or "unmarried" at the time of their myocardial infarction and any later change in the marital history was not considered. For married males the adjusted in-hospital case fatality rate was 19.7 per cent, whereas for unmarried males the rate was 26.7 per cent (p less than 0.05); similarly, the case fatality rate for married and unmarried females was 23.3 per cent and 37.4 per cent, respectively (p less than 0.05). A 10-year follow-up of 888 subjects who were discharged alive after an acute myocardial infarction also showed a significantly better survival rate for the married compared to the unmarried for both males (p less than 0.0001) and females (p less than 0.025). The results of this study indicate that married men and women who experience an acute myocardial infarction have a significantly better survival prospect, both in-hospital and after discharge, independent of other factors.