Cardiovascular Events After Partner Bereavement, What is the Role of Low Dose Aspirin and Beta-Blockers?

Bereavement due to loss of a partner is one of the most stressful life events, often leading to adverse physiological responses. Spousal loss has been associated with an increased morbidity and mortality, particularly from cardiovascular disease. Use of aspi-rin and/or beta adrenergic blockers have previously been suggested to play a role in cardiovascular risk associated with early bereavement. However, the available literature regarding this topic is limited. In this review article, we explore the potential beneficial role of aspirin and beta blockers in early bereavement. Our systematic review suggests that most studies have found aspirin and beta blockers to be beneficial in pre-venting adverse cardiovascular outcomes associated with early bereavement. Further randomized con-trolled long-term studies are warranted with adequate sample size to clearly establish the role of these medications on cardiovascular disease in late bereave-ment. (Curr Probl Cardiol 2022;47:100883.)