London - People who die while mourning a loved one are often said to have died of a broken heart.
And according to scientists, the old adage really can prove true – because grief and loss can cause fatal damage to your immune system.
A study found that the death of a spouse, close friend or relative can have a potentially devastating effect on the body’s ability to fight off infections.
The findings could help explain why a widow or widower sometimes dies shortly after their spouse, despite appearing to be healthy.
The University of Birmingham team studied the effect of bereavement on blood cells called neutrophils. These play a key role in combating bacterial infections such as pneumonia.
They took blood samples from recently bereaved men and women and looked at how good their neutrophils were at killing bugs.
They found that the neutrophils of young people who were grieving remained unaffected.
However the neutrophils of people over the age of 65 were no longer able to kill bacteria, the British Science Festival heard.
Researcher Dr Anna Phillips said this could leave them vulnerable to potentially deadly bacterial infections. Describing pneumonia as “one of the big killers of older people”, she said that the bacteria that cause the illness are “everywhere” and could prove fatal when patients’ neutrophils aren’t functioning properly.
Dr Phillips went on to say: “You hear about them going into hospital, they may have broken their hip or something but it’s the pneumonia that finishes people off.”
Her study, published in the journal Immunity and Ageing, also found that grief can make it more difficult for the immune system to fight of other illnesses, including cancer. This is believed to be due to a lack of a hormone called DHEAS, which normally helps keep our immune system strong.
However we make less of this hormone as we get older – and our levels of the chemical also drop when we are experiencing a period of intense stress.
Scientists have also suggested that some people can be so overcome by their grief that they forget to take the tablets they need to keep themselves healthy.
Dr Phillips is now hoping to study whether giving pensioners who have recently been bereaved DHEAS supplements could boost their immune system. Caroline Abrahams, from the charity Age UK, said: “We all know that losing a partner can be devastating – particularly for older people who may have been together for many years. But this research finally reveals the physical toll that it takes on your body.”
She went on to say: “Adding to their grief, bereaved older people often suddenly find themselves alone and lonely.
“We know feeling lonely increases the risk of mental and physical health problems and is as dangerous as moderate smoking and worse than obesity.
“It’s important we all do our bit to help our older relatives and friends, giving them our support and checking in on them.”
Previous research has shown that losing a wife makes a widower six times as likely to die, while a widow’s risk of death is doubled.
The risk peaks for either surviving spouse in the first year after bereavement, with couples who were married for the longest time left in the greatest danger.
Former prime minister James Callaghan died of pneumonia aged 92 in 2005 – just days after Audrey, his wife of 67 years. And in 2009, the parents of Spandau Ballet’s Martin and Gary Kemp died within 48 hours of each other.
Their father Frank, 79, suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead at hospital.
His wife Eileen, 77, was in the same Bournemouth hospital having a heart bypass. Her sons had to break the news to her when she came round after the operation and she died soon afterwards. - Daily Mail