Heart attack, stroke may lead to loss of work: Study

People who experience a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest are significantly less likely to be working than healthy people, and on average have lower incomes, according to a study.

Cardiovascular disease and stroke are the most common causes of death worldwide, resulting in hospitalisation, disability and loss of income, said researchers at the University of Manitoba in Canada.

For example, one-third of heart attacks, 25 per cent of strokes and 40 per cent of cardiac arrests occur in people of working age under age 65.

The study, published in Canadian Medical Association Journal, evaluated the effect of these conditions on the labour market and compared outcomes of people aged 40 to 61 years who were working before their event with controls who had not experienced a stroke or cardiac event.

To rule out any temporary labour market effects due to health issues, the researchers looked at employment three years after the initial event.

"Three years after admission to hospital for any of these health events, people who survived were less likely than the matched participants to be working and had greater losses in annual earnings," said Allan Garland, a professor at the University of Manitoba.

"The loss in earnings was substantial, with reductions ranging from 8 per cent to 31 per cent. Even if people were able to work, their incomes in the third year after the event were 5 per cent to 20 per cent less than before," Garland said.

The effects for stroke were the highest, with 31 per cent decrease compared with 23 per cent for cardiac arrest and eight per cent for acute myocardial infarction.

"Unemployment and lost earning owing to common health events have broad societal relevance, with consequences for patients, families and governments, such as bankruptcy, worsening health and lost productivity," said Garland.