Landmark research paper from the USA

A gravel road

Dr Crippen feels obliged to point out some research that has just emerged from across the pond. From the University of Harvard, no less.

A nine-year study of 518,240 elderly couples has found that if one partner becomes seriously ill, there is a much higher risk of the other partner becoming ill, or even dying, within a short period of time.

The effect on the partners varied with the illness. For example, the affect of having a partner with Alzheimer’s disease is more profound and more damaging than some other illness.

"Stress and lack of social support may also adversely affect immunologic measures [the immune system], so spousal hospitalisation may have physiological effects on partners," he added.”

Really?

"Carers of people with dementia are subject to huge emotional and physical hardships which can compound illnesses, often more so than carers of other older people.”

Well, there’s a surprise.

This study took nine years and involved the recruitment of no less than a million people between the ages of 65 and 98. It was sponsored by the National Institute of Ageing, a division of the US-based National Institutes of Health.

The study was done at the University of Harvard not, as you may have thought, at the University of the Bleeding Obvious.

“...if one partner becomes seriously ill, there is a much higher risk of the other becoming ill themselves, or even dieing within a short period of time.”

Dr Crippen particularly liked:

"spousal hospitalisation may have physiological effects on partners..."

"Spousal hospitalisation"? Let us pause for a short prayer in defence of the English language.

The BBC report does not say how much the study cost. A quick phone call to any family doctor in the UK or the USA would have saved that money and spared the University of Harvard nine years work. Wat Tyler's American relatives will be having palpitations.