Heart-Attack Deaths Rise after Sibling Loss

The death of a brother or sister, especially from a heart attack, may increase your own risk of heart-attack death, a study finds. The study focused on 1.6 million Swedes, ages 40 to 69. Among women, those who lost a sibling were 25% more likely to die of a heart attack in the next several years than women whose siblings were living. For men, the increased risk was 15%. If the sibling died of a heart attack, women’s own risk of heart-attack death jumped 62%. This risk doubled among men who lost a sibling to a heart attack. The increased risk began 4 to 6 years after a sibling’s death for women and in 2 to 6 years after for men. Researchers don’t know why heart attack risk might be higher after a sibling’s death. The study does not show that one caused the other. Of course, siblings share many genes.