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Study: Marriage may improve heart attack survival odds

Posted at 11:39 AM, Jul 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-27 11:39:44-04

While marriage may improve your life, a recent study shows that it could also improve your chances of surviving a heart attack. 

According to a recent study, married people may have higher odds of surviving a heart attack, compared to those who are single or divorced. 

Steven Nissen, M.D., Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic said this is a reoccurring theme in cardiology and and cardiac surgery, because the " kind of surge of adrenaline you get when you're sick an having someone around who you're comfortable with and who has been your lifelong partner can help calm down patients and make them feel more secure." The calm feeling Nissen said is good when the heart is healing. 

Nissen also said that having a spouse and a support system around when facing a medical challenge is also important because it reduces anxiety and stress, both of which are known to activate the many hormones that are involved in causing cardiovascular complications.