Study: Married heart patients live longer

Married heart surgery patients are far less likely than single patients to die in the first three months after their operation, a new study finds.

The survival rate was more than three times as high for married patients as for single patients three months after surgery, researchers report in the March issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Although the difference in survival was strongest in the first few months, the analysis of data from more than 500 male and female patients who had emergency or elective coronary bypass surgery also found that the strong protective effect of marriage continued for up to five years. Overall, single patients were nearly twice as likely to die as married patients.

"The findings underscore the important role of spouses as caregivers during health crises," lead author Ellen Idler, a sociologist at Emory University in Atlanta, said. -- HealthDay