Latest news with #MetteKjærgaardNielsen
CTV News
a day ago
- Health
- CTV News
You can actually die of a broken heart after bereavement, study shows
People who experience overwhelming grief are more likely to die in the 10 years after their bereavement than those who don't, new study found. (milorad kravic/E+/Getty Images via CNN Newsource) You can actually die of a broken heart after the death of a loved one, especially if the grief is overwhelming, new research shows. Bereaved relatives who experienced 'high levels' of grief symptoms were more likely to die in the 10 years following their bereavement than those who experienced 'low levels' of grief, a study published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found. In the study, coauthor Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, and her colleagues investigated the long-term health outcomes of bereaved relatives in Denmark over the course of 10 years, dividing the 1,735 participants into groups who experienced 'low levels' and 'high levels' of grief symptoms. During the study period, 26.5% of the relatives who showed high levels of grief died, compared with 7.3% of those who were less powerfully affected. These 'high levels' of grief are defined as someone experiencing more than half of nine grief symptoms researchers have identified. These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires when they first enrolled in the study, as well as six months and three years after their bereavement, allowing researchers to collect their symptoms. At the same time, researchers observed how often the study participants interacted with the health care system, finding that relatives with high grief symptoms also used more antidepressant medication, mental health services and primary care services. 'Those with a high grief trajectory seem to be a vulnerable group of relatives already before the death, with need for special attention,' Nielsen told CNN via email. '(They) may need additional support. They may experience distress and have difficulties coping with the situation,' she said, pointing to previous studies that have highlighted low socioeconomic status, poor self-reported health, and higher symptoms of depression and anxiety as all contributing to overwhelming grief. Even accounting for these risk factors, the researchers have 'done a good job' isolating the specific effect of grief, Sian Harding, a cardiologist and professor emeritus of cardiac pharmacology at Imperial College London who wasn't involved in the research, told CNN. One of the 'key things' about the paper is its longitudinal perspective, she said, since 'we know very well that there's an acute effect of any kind of bereavement on heart health.' 'It was not a particular surprise to me that this particular form of stress, while prolonged, has a damaging effect on the body. It can come out particularly as heart disease, but other things as well,' Harding added. While this study didn't investigate the bereaved relatives' causes of death, it aligns with wider research showing the effect a traumatic loss can have on a person's physical health. One cardiac condition known as broken heart syndrome — also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy — is a well-established acute phenomenon, triggered by intensely stressful situations, like losing a loved one. Prolonged stress caused by bereavement can also cause raised blood pressure, raised cortisol, an increased risk of diabetes, and poor mental health, Harding said. She also noted previous research into broken heart syndrome that found that some people die on the anniversary of their bereavement. Findings from the latest study suggest that health-care workers 'may be able to discover distressed relatives early in the patient's illness trajectory and offer follow up,' Nielsen said. By Issy Ronald, CNN
CNN
a day ago
- Health
- CNN
You can actually die of a broken heart after bereavement, study shows
FacebookTweetLink You can actually die of a broken heart after the death of a loved one, especially if the grief is overwhelming, new research shows. Bereaved relatives who experienced 'high levels' of grief symptoms were more likely to die in the 10 years following their bereavement than those who experienced 'low levels' of grief, a study published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found. In the study, coauthor Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, and her colleagues investigated the long-term health outcomes of bereaved relatives in Denmark over the course of 10 years, dividing the 1,735 participants into groups who experienced 'low levels' and 'high levels' of grief symptoms. During the study period, 26.5% of the relatives who showed high levels of grief died, compared with 7.3% of those who were less powerfully affected. These 'high levels' of grief are defined as someone experiencing more than half of nine grief symptoms researchers have identified. These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires when they first enrolled in the study, as well as six months and three years after their bereavement, allowing researchers to collect their symptoms. At the same time, researchers observed how often the study participants interacted with the health care system, finding that relatives with high grief symptoms also used more antidepressant medication, mental health services and primary care services. 'Those with a high grief trajectory seem to be a vulnerable group of relatives already before the death, with need for special attention,' Nielsen told CNN via email. '(They) may need additional support. They may experience distress and have difficulties coping with the situation,' she said, pointing to previous studies that have highlighted low socioeconomic status, poor self-reported health, and higher symptoms of depression and anxiety as all contributing to overwhelming grief. Even accounting for these risk factors, the researchers have 'done a good job' isolating the specific effect of grief, Sian Harding, a cardiologist and professor emeritus of cardiac pharmacology at Imperial College London who wasn't involved in the research, told CNN. One of the 'key things' about the paper is its longitudinal perspective, she said, since 'we know very well that there's an acute effect of any kind of bereavement on heart health.' 'It was not a particular surprise to me that this particular form of stress, while prolonged, has a damaging effect on the body. It can come out particularly as heart disease, but other things as well,' Harding added. While this study didn't investigate the bereaved relatives' causes of death, it aligns with wider research showing the effect a traumatic loss can have on a person's physical health. One cardiac condition known as broken heart syndrome — also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy — is a well-established acute phenomenon, triggered by intensely stressful situations, like losing a loved one. Prolonged stress caused by bereavement can also cause raised blood pressure, raised cortisol, an increased risk of diabetes, and poor mental health, Harding said. She also noted previous research into broken heart syndrome that found that some people die on the anniversary of their bereavement. Findings from the latest study suggest that healthcare workers 'may be able to discover distressed relatives early in the patient's illness trajectory and offer follow up,' Nielsen said. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
CNN
a day ago
- Health
- CNN
You can actually die of a broken heart after bereavement, study shows
You can actually die of a broken heart after the death of a loved one, especially if the grief is overwhelming, new research shows. Bereaved relatives who experienced 'high levels' of grief symptoms were more likely to die in the 10 years following their bereavement than those who experienced 'low levels' of grief, a study published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found. In the study, coauthor Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, and her colleagues investigated the long-term health outcomes of bereaved relatives in Denmark over the course of 10 years, dividing the 1,735 participants into groups who experienced 'low levels' and 'high levels' of grief symptoms. During the study period, 26.5% of the relatives who showed high levels of grief died, compared with 7.3% of those who were less powerfully affected. These 'high levels' of grief are defined as someone experiencing more than half of nine grief symptoms researchers have identified. These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires when they first enrolled in the study, as well as six months and three years after their bereavement, allowing researchers to collect their symptoms. At the same time, researchers observed how often the study participants interacted with the health care system, finding that relatives with high grief symptoms also used more antidepressant medication, mental health services and primary care services. 'Those with a high grief trajectory seem to be a vulnerable group of relatives already before the death, with need for special attention,' Nielsen told CNN via email. '(They) may need additional support. They may experience distress and have difficulties coping with the situation,' she said, pointing to previous studies that have highlighted low socioeconomic status, poor self-reported health, and higher symptoms of depression and anxiety as all contributing to overwhelming grief. Even accounting for these risk factors, the researchers have 'done a good job' isolating the specific effect of grief, Sian Harding, a cardiologist and professor emeritus of cardiac pharmacology at Imperial College London who wasn't involved in the research, told CNN. One of the 'key things' about the paper is its longitudinal perspective, she said, since 'we know very well that there's an acute effect of any kind of bereavement on heart health.' 'It was not a particular surprise to me that this particular form of stress, while prolonged, has a damaging effect on the body. It can come out particularly as heart disease, but other things as well,' Harding added. While this study didn't investigate the bereaved relatives' causes of death, it aligns with wider research showing the effect a traumatic loss can have on a person's physical health. One cardiac condition known as broken heart syndrome — also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy — is a well-established acute phenomenon, triggered by intensely stressful situations, like losing a loved one. Prolonged stress caused by bereavement can also cause raised blood pressure, raised cortisol, an increased risk of diabetes, and poor mental health, Harding said. She also noted previous research into broken heart syndrome that found that some people die on the anniversary of their bereavement. Findings from the latest study suggest that healthcare workers 'may be able to discover distressed relatives early in the patient's illness trajectory and offer follow up,' Nielsen said. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
CNN
a day ago
- Health
- CNN
You can actually die of a broken heart after bereavement, study shows
You can actually die of a broken heart after the death of a loved one, especially if the grief is overwhelming, new research shows. Bereaved relatives who experienced 'high levels' of grief symptoms were more likely to die in the 10 years following their bereavement than those who experienced 'low levels' of grief, a study published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found. In the study, coauthor Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, and her colleagues investigated the long-term health outcomes of bereaved relatives in Denmark over the course of 10 years, dividing the 1,735 participants into groups who experienced 'low levels' and 'high levels' of grief symptoms. During the study period, 26.5% of the relatives who showed high levels of grief died, compared with 7.3% of those who were less powerfully affected. These 'high levels' of grief are defined as someone experiencing more than half of nine grief symptoms researchers have identified. These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires when they first enrolled in the study, as well as six months and three years after their bereavement, allowing researchers to collect their symptoms. At the same time, researchers observed how often the study participants interacted with the health care system, finding that relatives with high grief symptoms also used more antidepressant medication, mental health services and primary care services. 'Those with a high grief trajectory seem to be a vulnerable group of relatives already before the death, with need for special attention,' Nielsen told CNN via email. '(They) may need additional support. They may experience distress and have difficulties coping with the situation,' she said, pointing to previous studies that have highlighted low socioeconomic status, poor self-reported health, and higher symptoms of depression and anxiety as all contributing to overwhelming grief. Even accounting for these risk factors, the researchers have 'done a good job' isolating the specific effect of grief, Sian Harding, a cardiologist and professor emeritus of cardiac pharmacology at Imperial College London who wasn't involved in the research, told CNN. One of the 'key things' about the paper is its longitudinal perspective, she said, since 'we know very well that there's an acute effect of any kind of bereavement on heart health.' 'It was not a particular surprise to me that this particular form of stress, while prolonged, has a damaging effect on the body. It can come out particularly as heart disease, but other things as well,' Harding added. While this study didn't investigate the bereaved relatives' causes of death, it aligns with wider research showing the effect a traumatic loss can have on a person's physical health. One cardiac condition known as broken heart syndrome — also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy — is a well-established acute phenomenon, triggered by intensely stressful situations, like losing a loved one. Prolonged stress caused by bereavement can also cause raised blood pressure, raised cortisol, an increased risk of diabetes, and poor mental health, Harding said. She also noted previous research into broken heart syndrome that found that some people die on the anniversary of their bereavement. Findings from the latest study suggest that healthcare workers 'may be able to discover distressed relatives early in the patient's illness trajectory and offer follow up,' Nielsen said. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Intense grief after the loss of a loved one doubles the risk of dying within 10 years, warn experts
PEOPLE intensely grieving a loved one are nearly twice as likely to die within a decade of their loss, say scientists. While grief for the loss of a relative is a natural response, in a minority of the bereaved, grief is so overwhelming it can lead to physical and mental illness - even if it doesn't qualify for a diagnosis. Advertisement 1 Bereaved people with persistent high levels of intense grief showed to use more healthcare services in the study Credit: Getty Previous studies have shown people who recently lost a loved one use healthcare services more often and have an increased mortality rate, over the short term. But now, researchers in Study corresponding author Dr Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Research Unit for General Practice in Aarhus, said: "This is the first study to investigate the long-term use of healthcare and patterns of mortality over a decade after bereavement in a large-scale cohort." Starting in 2012, Dr Nielsen and her colleagues followed a group of 1,735 bereaved women and men living in Denmark with an average age of 62 on enrolment. Advertisement Read more on mental health Of the participants, 66 per cent had recently lost their partner, 27 per cent a parent, and 7 per cent another kind of loved relation. Through the national register of drug prescriptions, the researchers knew which patients had recently been prescribed treatment for a terminal condition. They were able to contact those dying patients to invite them and their loved ones to participate in the study. Previously, Dr Nielsen and her colleagues. had identified five common "trajectories" among the group, based on changes in the intensity of grief symptoms over the first three years after losing a loved one. Advertisement Most read in Health Those on the "low" trajectory (38 per cent) displayed persistently low levels of grief symptoms, while 6 per cent followed a "high" trajectory with persistently elevated levels. Three other categories lay between those extremes: 18 per cent and 29 percent followed a "high but decreasing" and a "moderate but decreasing" trajectory, respectively, with 9 per cent on a "late onset" trajectory with a peak of symptoms around six month after bereavement. There are many treatments available on the NHS to help with low mood and depression The research team extended their follow-up of the participants for a total of 10 years until 2022, except for those who died or emigrated earlier. They used data from the Danish National Health Service Register to assess how often each participant received " Advertisement The results revealed for participants on the "high" trajectory, the hazard rate of dying within 10 years was 88 per cent higher than for participants on a "low" trajectory. The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health , also showed participants on the "high" trajectory were most likely to receive additional health care services beyond three years after bereavement. For example, they had 186 per cent higher odds of receiving talk therapy or other mental health services, 463 per cent higher odds of being prescribed antidepressants, and 160 per cent higher odds of being prescribed sedatives or Differences in the frequency of use of healthcare services between the five trajectories were no longer significant after the first eight years, but the excess mortality of participants on the "high" trajectory remained pronounced over the full 10 years of follow-up. Advertisement Dr Nielsen said: "We have previously found a connection between high grief symptom levels and higher rates of cardiovascular disease, mental health problems, and even suicide. "But the association with mortality should be further investigated." She says people at risk for a "high" grief trajectory may be recognisable for intervention early, since the data showed that those patients were prescribed psychotropic medication more often even before their loss. Dr Nielsen added: "The 'high grief' group had lower education on average, and their more frequent use of medication before bereavement suggested that they had signs of mental vulnerability, which may cause greater distress on bereavement. Advertisement "A GP could look for previous signs of depression and other severe mental health conditions. "They can then offer these patients tailored follow-up in general practice, or refer them to a private-practice psychologist or secondary care. "The GP may also suggest a bereavement follow-up appointment focusing on mental health." Where to seek grief support Need professional help with grief? Child Bereavement UK Cruse Bereavement Relate The Good Grief Trust You can also always speak to your GP if you're struggling. You're Not Alone Check out these books, podcasts and apps that all expertly navigate grief… Griefcast: Cariad Lloyd interviews comedians on this award-winning podcast. The Madness Of Grief by Rev Richard Coles (£9.99, W&N): The Strictly fave writes movingly on losing his husband David to alcoholism. Terrible, Thanks For Asking: Podcast host Nora McInerny encourages non-celebs to share how they're really feeling. Good Mourning by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn (£14.99, Murdoch Books): A guide for people who've suffered sudden loss, like the authors who both lost their mums. Grief Works: Download this for daily meditations and expert tips. How To Grieve Like A Champ by Lianna Champ (£3.99, Red Door Press): A book for improving your relationship with death.
