Living Alone Raises Risk for Heart Disease

Living alone is not something that anyone relishes. Besides the emotional toll that one bears by living alone, it seems that it may also be associated with a higher risk of heart attack. New research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has found that older men and women who live alone, have an increased risk of developing acute coronary syndrome. Acute coronary syndrome, represents a sudden reduction of blood supply to the heart muscle which may result in unstable angina, heart attack or sudden cardiac death. Approximately one in three people with acute coronary syndrome will die within 30 days of the initial diagnosis. The study, involved over 138,000 Danish residents between the ages of 30 and 69. It was conducted to look for risk factors for acute coronary syndrome. 646 people died from ACS over a one year period. Those who were older and and those who lived alone were twice as likely to develop acute coronary syndrome. Women over 60 years who lived alone represented 5% of the study population, yet they accounted for nearly one third of deaths within 30 days of diagnosis of ACS. Men over 50 years who lived alone represented 8% of the study population, yet accounted for nearly two thirds of those who died within 30 days of diagnosis from this syndrome. The increased risk due to living alone may be attributed to other risk factors-such as smoking, obesity, and high cholesterol.