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By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News
The newly bereaved are at greatly increased risk of heart attack after the
death of a close loved one, US researchers say.
Heart attack risk is 21 times higher within the first day and six times higher
than normal within the first week, a study in the Circulation journal of nearly
2,000 people shows.
Symptoms to watch for include chest pain and shortness of breath.
Experts say intense grief puts extra strain on the heart.
The psychological stress associated with loss can raise heart rate, blood
pressure and blood clotting, which, in turn, can increase the chance of a heart
attack.
A person's sleep and appetite are also likely to be disrupted.
Compound this with self-neglect - such as not bothering to take regular
medication - and the result can be grave.
The researchers say it is important for family and friends to be aware of these
risks and to keep an eye out during such difficult times.
Emotional
Start Quote
It's very important that if you're taking medication because you have, or are
at high risk of, heart disease, don't neglect taking it following a significant
bereavement
Prof Peter Weissberg British Heart Foundation
Lead investigator Dr Murray Mittleman, of Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center, said: "During situations of extreme grief and
psychological distress, you still need to take care of yourself and seek
medical attention for symptoms associated with a heart attack.
"Caretakers, healthcare providers and the bereaved themselves need to recognise
they are in a period of heightened risk in the days and weeks after hearing of
someone close dying."
The researchers reached their estimates by studying 1,985 heart attack
survivors and comparing how many of them had recently been bereaved.
Among the study participants, 270 (13.6%) experienced the loss of a significant
person in the prior six months, including 19 within one day of their heart
attack.
Heart attack risk went up significantly within the first week after the death
of a close loved one.
The risk was highest in the first seven days following bereavement and declined
steadily thereafter.
Vulnerable
The elevated risk ranged from about one in 300 to less than one in 1,000
depending on the individual's general heart health before bereavement.
Those with a history of heart disease already fared worse.
Prof Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation said: "We're already aware
that, under exceptional circumstances, emotional stress can trigger a heart
attack.
"But we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that heart attacks triggered by stress
normally only happen in people with underlying heart disease. It's very
important that if you're taking medication because you have, or are at high
risk of, heart disease, don't neglect taking it following a significant
bereavement."
Past research has already shown that recently bereaved people have heart rhythm
changes which may make some of them more vulnerable to health problems.
And grieving spouses have higher long-term risks of dying, with heart disease
and strokes accounting for around half of the deaths, findings suggest.