This has nothing to do with anesthesia however I thought this was interesting so I wanted to share with our readers.
By Amy Orciari Herman
Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD
Dog ownership is associated with lower mortality risk in adults, especially those with cardiovascular disease, according to two reports in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
First, a meta-analysis comprising 10 prospective studies among 3.8 million adults found that dog owners had a 24% lower risk for death over 10 years’ follow-up, compared with nonowners. Among those with prior coronary events, mortality risk was 65% lower with dog ownership.
Next, using Swedish registries, researchers studied nearly 340,000 adults who experienced a first myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke over 12 years; roughly 5% were dog owners at the time of the event. During up to 800,000 person-years of follow-up, dog owners were about 20% less likely than nonowners to die. The protective effect was greatest among those who lived alone.
An editorialist writes, “My interpretation of the collective evidence to date is that the association between dog ownership and improved survival is real, and is likely at least partially causal.” He notes that dog ownership can lead to greater physical activity and decreased loneliness, among other benefits.
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