After having a stroke, heart attack or cardiac arrest, people are less likely to
Although
Meanwhile, about 5 percent of those who had a heart attack hadn't gone back to work, while 13 percent of those who'd had
The study also found an average drop in yearly earnings of more than $13,000 after a stroke, about $11,000 after cardiac arrest and nearly $4,000 after a heart attack.
"When we look at the impact of health events, we need to look not only at short-term, easy-to-measure outcomes like life and death. Quality of life and economic well-being are equally important to people," said study author Dr. Allan Garland. He is a professor of medicine and community health sciences at the University of Manitoba and Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg in Canada.
Garland said
Serious health events like heart attacks, cardiac arrest and strokes can be life-altering, the study authors noted. These conditions may lead to a loss in some abilities, which might make it difficult to return to work or to return to work full-time.
One-third of heart attacks, 40 percent of cardiac arrests and one-quarter of strokes occur in people
To see what impact these events had on people's working lives, the researchers
The investigators looked for people who had experienced a heart attack, cardiac arrest or stroke who had been working during the two years before their health event. They were all between the ages of 40 and 61.
Garland's team compared these groups to a much larger group of similar healthy
"These kinds of unemployment and lost earnings have broad consequences across society. In the United States, it can lead to a loss of health insurance and lead to the phenomenon of medical bankruptcy. Those costs
Dr. Terrence Sacchi, chief of cardiology at
Sacchi said the study shows the need to stress prevention.
"
Sacchi also recommended that people enter a cardiac rehabilitation program, and "if you feel you're capable, you can get back to work."
SOURCES: Allan Garland, M.D., M.A., professor, medicine and community health sciences,