Married men seek treatment for heart attacks sooner, thanks to nagging wives

The benefits of marriage on health, particularly for men, have long been known.  Fast, effective treatment for heart attacks is available and emergency department delays have been significantly reduced over the last few decades. However, patient delays in seeking treatment for chest pain have not improved. The study sought to assess the effect of marital […]

The benefits of marriage on health, particularly for men, have long been known.  Fast, effective treatment for heart attacks is available and emergency department delays have been significantly reduced over the last few decades.

However, patient delays in seeking treatment for chest pain have not improved.

The study sought to assess the effect of marital status on time from first experiencing chest pain to arrival in an emergency department.

Researchers looked at data on 4,403 patients in Ontario, Canada, who had heart attacks.  The mean age was 67.3 years and 33.7 per cent were female.

Almost half of patients (46.3 per cent) went to hospital within two hours, with 73.6 per cent arriving within six hours.

In married people, 75.3 per cent went to hospital within six hours of first chest pain, compared with 67.9 per cent single, 68.5 per cent divorced and 70.8 per cent widowed patients during the same period.

Co-author Doctor Clare Atzema, of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), said: ‘At the patient level, among patients with an exact time of onset of chest pain, the adjusted time saved was a remarkable half-hour.

‘Among all the factors that had an effect in the primary outcome model, only calling an ambulance had a greater influence on the time to presentation.

‘Because cardiovascular disease is the most frequent cause of death in Canada and the Western world, the benefit at the population level is substantial.’

However, women who were married or in common-law relationships did not see the same benefit from marriage in seeking faster treatment.

The researchers surmised it may be because women are more likely to take the role of caregiver and to urge their spouses to seek care sooner.

Dr Atzema added: ‘Earlier attainment of medical care may be one reason why married men have a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality than their single counterparts.

‘Awareness of the differences in reasons for delay by sex could facilitate the development of targeted public health campaigns as a way to reduce patient-caused delay among those at risk.’

The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

Culled for dailymail.co.uk