|
| Date Archive : 2/11/2008 |
| Date Enter; : 2/11/2008 |
|
Hour Enter : 1:51:24 PM |
| Resource : HealthDay News |
| Summery : It's called the "widow" or "widower" effect, and doctors have long been familiar with this curious but very real phenomenon: When a husband or wife dies, there's a greater likelihood that the surviving spouse will pass soon afterward.
Now, researchers are gaining a better understanding of the forces at work, realizing problems often start with the hospitalization of a spouse. |
|
New findings suggest that having a husband or wife who needs to be admitted to a hospital with a serious illness poses health risks for the partner. The culprit: The stress and upheaval the partner experiences while enduring the hospitalization of an ailing husband or wife.
"It's not like your spouse's sickness somehow magically makes you worse," said Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard Medical School's Department of Health Care Policy. "We believe it works by imposing some kind of burden."
Read more at : http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20080211/hl_hsn/spousessicknessbodesillforpartnershealth
|
