Bereavement may increase HF mortality risk

The death of a close family member was associated with increased risk for death among people with HF, with risk highest during the first week after the loss, according to findings from a Swedish register-based study.

“The findings of the study may call for increased attention from family members, friends and involved professionals for bereaved HF patients, particularly in the period shortly after the loss,” Krisztina László, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, told Healio. “Since this is one of the first studies in this field, we believe further studies are needed to better understand the role of stress in the prognosis of HF in order to inform clinical decision-making.” Read more in Healio.