See What Being Divorced Or Single Can Cause: Unmarried Adults Are 70% More Likely To Die From A Stroke..(Read Details)

Being in a stable marriage means people are more likely to survive a stroke, experts have found.

Having a spouse to care for someone 'in sickness and in health' improves survival chances by up to 71 per cent, according to a study.

An estimated 150,000 people have a stroke each year in Britain.A quarter die within a year, and of the survivors, half are left with long-lasting disability, which can include paralysis, speech problems and personality changes.

In the US, more than 795,000 people have a stroke each year; 130,000 die - one in 20.

The extent to which people recover - and their chance of long-term survival - is hugely dependent on having good care, rehabilitation and support in the aftermath of a stroke.

Experts at Duke University in North Carolina, suspect this is a key reason married people tend to do better following a stroke - they simply have someone to look after them.

The researchers, who tracked 2,351 people for an average five years after suffering a stroke, found those who were in a marriage - and had never been married to anyone else - at the time of their stroke were 71 per cent less likely to die than those who had never been married.

But they also found those who had suffered a marriage breakdown in the past, or who had been widowed, were less likely to survive.

The research team said this suggests stroke survival could be influenced by previously traumatic experiences.

They found patients who were divorced were 23 per cent more likely to die after a stroke, and those who had been widowed were 25 per cent more likely to die than continuously married adults.

Patients who were divorced more than once were 39 per cent more likely to die after a stroke, and those who had been widowed more than once had a 40 per cent greater chance of death.

The researchers, writing in the Journal of the American Heart Association, said: 'Faced with a stroke, we suspect that those with stable marriages draw from these protracted resources to better manage disease and prolong survival after experiencing a life-threatening event.

'The present findings corroborate this association to suggest that remarriage after divorce or widowhood may not confer the same health benefits for those who remained stably married.'

But they added: 'We suspect that the acute and chronic stress associated with marital loss(es) may have played an important role in our findings, particularly as it related to widowhood in older ages.

'Indeed, recent studies have identified possible biological mechanisms related to the stress of marital loss that warrant additional investigation as they relate to increased risk for mortality after a stroke.'

Dr Matthew Dupre, who led the study, said: 'Our research is the first to show that current and past marital experiences can have significant consequences for one's prognosis after a stroke.

'We hope that a greater recognition and understanding of these associations may enable healthcare providers to better identify and treat patients who may be at a potentially high risk of dying after suffering a stroke.'

Richard Francis of the UK Stroke Association, said: 'For many years, scientists have been trying to work out whether our relationship status can play a role in our health.

'This latest study adds weight to previous research which suggests a link between a person's marital status and their recovery following a stroke.

'There are a number of factors which could contribute to this. We know that psychological and behavioural support are vital for people rebuilding their lives after a stroke, and a stroke survivor's financial stability also has a role to play in their recovery.'

But he added: 'A stroke can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of their relationship status.

'There are simple steps we can take to reduce our risk of stroke, such as eating a balanced diet, taking regular exercise and having regular blood pressure checks.'