Job loss linked with increased risk of heart attack

A study carried out in the US has revealed that unemployment in your 50s and 60s may increase the chance of having a heart attack as much as that of a smoker.

Job loss is often a stressful time and was considerably linked with those who suffered heart attacks. 

The study of more than 13,000 participants implied that the probability of having a heart attack increased by as much as a quarter in the first year of unemployment. This amplified each time the participant found themselves unemployed again, including people made redundant and those sacked, though those who gave up work through choice did not show such a worrying tendency.

The chance of having a heart attack increased in those who had lost four or more jobs.

More than 1,000 heart attacks were suffered amongst the participants over a study period of nearly 20 years.

Those who smoked, did little or no exercise and were overweight were more likely to have a heart attack, and those with high blood pressure and sufferers of diabetes also showed a greater susceptibility to heart problems.

Dr Linda George from Duke University, North Carolina, said: “We think it is the stress of dealing with unemployment that may explain this. And probably, the loss has a stronger effect than a stressful job.”

James Clark