Marital failure linked to subsequent heart failure

Experiencing a loss of stable spousal relationships, particularly recent marital failure, appears to increase susceptibility to heart failure (HF), according to a large study.

Researchers used data from the Kailuan Studies I and II. Marital status was determined via multiple self‐reports. HF cases were identified through biennial interviews, hospital records, social insurance, and death registries, confirmed by cardiologists.

The analysis included 125,042 participants (mean age 55.3 years, 83.1 percent male), of which 6,042 (4.83 percent) experienced marital failure. A total of 3,779 subsequent HF cases were recorded over a median follow‐up of 13.5 years.

Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models showed that compared with marital stability, marital failure was associated with a 30-percent increase in the risk of subsequent HF (hazard ratio, 1.30, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.14–1.49).

The association between marital failure and subsequent HF was more pronounced among participants with higher (vs lower) educational levels and those with poorer (vs good) lifestyle score as assessed by smoking status, drinking status, physical activity, salt diet, and body mass index (p<0.05 for both).

The findings point to marital failure as a noteworthy socioeconomic factor that may aid in identifying at‐risk populations and developing supportive strategies in order to improve outcomes.