title: Increased mortality in partners of female myocardial infarction patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many studies have been performed on the impact of Alzheimer's disease, stroke and cancer on carers. Information on the influence of a myocardial infarction in a patient on the health of the partner is still scarce.
  
  
  METHODS
  Exposed and non-exposed partners were compared with respect to the occurrence of mortality and predefined diseases, using Cox proportional hazards survival analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the disease incidence rates differed between exposed partners and control partners. Over 12 times as many male partners of (female) heart patients died as compared to their male control partners, when they had a low educational level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When exposed to myocardial infarction in a patient, the risk of dying in low educated male partners was over 12 times as large as for male low educated unexposed partners.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Maastricht University, Care and Public health Research Institute, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Tanja M C
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Skrotzki
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van den Akker
authors.forename: Arnold D M
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Kester
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buntinx
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction; D009313:National Health Programs; D009426:Netherlands; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis