Getting fired raises heart attack risk

Being fired is not just bad news, it could be fatal -- especially if the individual is middle aged, researchers say.

Among a sample of 4,301 people age 51 to 61, the study found the incidence of heart attack and stroke among those who had lost their jobs was more than double than those still working.

“For many individuals, late career job loss is an exceptionally stressful experience with the potential for provoking numerous undesirable outcomes including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (heart attacks and strokes),” the researchers said in an online report ahead of a printed article in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

“Based on our results, the true costs of unemployment exceed the obvious economic costs and include substantial health consequences as well,” wrote the team led by William Gallo of Yale University School of Medicine.