The mortality of male old-age pensioners following spouse's death.

The effect of the death of the spouse on mortality of retired men was investigated. The material comprised 939 married men retired on old age pension, 174 of whom had lost their spouse after retirement. During the first six months following the wife's death, more than the expected number died, though no increase in mortality could be shown over a longer term. Circulatory diseases and tumours were over-represented as causes of death among those who died within six months of the wife's death. Loss of an important object relationship may lead to sudden cardiac death, or the development of a disease may be accelerated.