Spouses of patients with cancer have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease: what do we know about this link?

The article by Ji, Zöller, Sundquist, and Sundquist1 found that, after a cancer diagnosis in husbands or wives, the risks of coronary heart disease and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke were each significantly increased in affected versus nonaffected spouses. This analysis used several Swedish national data registries, including the Swedish Cancer Registry, the Swedish National Population and Housing Census, and the Swedish Multi-Generation Registry, which cover close to 100% of the population and include substantial individual-level information. Such a comprehensive and integrative system made it possible systematically and objectively to assess the association between being a cancer caregiver and the elevation in the risk of cardiovascular disease. Thus, the study found that the spousal caregivers of patients with cancer in comparison with a matched reference group, experienced an excess risk of coronary heart disease and stroke of 13% to 29% when assessed for up to 20 years after their spouse’s cancer diagnosis.