Heartache would promote heart attack

Heartache doubles the risk of having a heart attack, according to a new British scientific study.

In older people, bereavement increases the risk of having a heart attack and stroke, according to the results of this survey published in the journal Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Researchers at the University of Saint George in London conducted their study on 10,000 seniors. They compared the rate of heart attacks and strokes in bereaved and non-bereaved.

30 days after the death of a spouse, the risk of heart attack is multiplied by 2 and the risk of having a stroke increases by 2.4%. However, these two rates return to normal in the year following the loss of the partner.

If the authors of the study cannot fully explain this phenomenon in a scientific way, they put forward several theories like keto diet plan for weight loss that make it possible to understand this increased risk of heart attack and stroke in the bereaved elderly.

BEREAVEMENT AS AN INTENSE STRESSOR
“Previous scientific studies already revealed that grief and pain lead to a range of adverse physiological reactions, including changes in blood clotting, blood pressure, stress hormone levels and heart rate control. "said Dr Sunil Shah of the University of Saint George in London, co-author of the study." All of these will plausibly contribute to an increased risk of events such as heart attacks and strokes. after the loss of a partner ”.

For example, research that Dr. Ilan Wittstein , a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital points to “broken heart syndrome,” also known as stress cardiomyopathy. These studies conducted since 1999 on broken heart syndrome show that this pathology mainly affects women over 55 years of age. “At the age of hormonal decline, women's hearts become more sensitive to stress because it is no longer protected by estrogen. This is why, in the end, seniors are more at risk of dying from heartache ”.

GRIEVING PROMOTES HARMFUL BEHAVIOR
Pain also tends to take its toll on everyday life. “Grieving people can be so disturbed that they lose their hideouts to the point of forgetting to take their medication regularly, or to stop eating or drinking. They are also more likely to take less care of themselves. They start engaging in harmful behaviors, like overeating or drinking too much, ”said Dr. Karol Watson, co-director of preventive cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "These changes can also increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke."