Myocardial Infarction in Parents Who Lost a Child

Jiong Li · Dorthe Hansen · Preben Bo Mortensen · Jørn Olsen

155 citations0/0 files storedCirculation

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Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health Acute Myocardial Infarction Research Cardiac Health and Mental Health

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The association between psychological stress and coronary heart disease remains unclear. We conducted a prospective follow-up study based on national registers to investigate if the death of a child, one of the most severe stressors, increases the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in parents. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 1980 to 1996, 19 361 parents who lost a child (<18 years of age) in Denmark were recruited to the exposed cohort, and 295 540 parents matched on family structure were selected for the unexposed cohort. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the relative risk (RR) of myocardial infarction (MI). The average RRs for a fatal MI and any first MI among the exposed were 1.36 (95% CI, 0.98 to 1.88) and 1.28 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.51), respectively. The two cohorts had similar MI risk during the first 6 years of follow-up. From the 7th to the 17th year of follow-up, the exposed cohort had a RR of 1.58 (95% CI, 1.08 to 2.30) for fatal MI and a RR of 1.31 (95% CI, 1.09 to 1.57) for first MI. Parents who lost a child unexpectedly, especially from sudden infant death syndrome, experienced higher RRs. CONCLUSIONS: The death of a child was associated with an increased risk of MI in bereaved parents.

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References

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2011Mortality in parents following the death of a child: a nationwide follow-up study from Sweden 2014Bereavement: Course, Consequences, and Care 2007Grief and Post-Traumatic Growth in Parents 2–6 Years after the Death of Their Extremely Premature Baby 2009Morbidity, mortality, and parental grief: A review of the literature on the relationship between the death of a child and the subsequent health of parents 2018Caring for Parents After the Death of a Child 2007Patterns of Parental Bereavement following the Loss of a Child and Related Factors

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