Married people may have a better chance of surviving a heart attack, a new study suggests.

UK researchers looked at over 25,000 patients who had suffered a heart attack between January 2000 and March 2013.

They found that married people were 14% less likely to die after suffering a heart attack compared with single people.

Married people were also likely to spend, on average, two days less in hospital after a heart attack compared to single people.

The reason for the findings are unclear, however the researchers believe that they highlight the importance of emotional and physical support after a heart attack.

While previous studies have suggested a link between marital status and heart attack outcomes, this is the first study to suggest a link between marital status and the length of time spent in hospital.

The researchers pointed out that shorter hospital stays save the health service money and reduce the risk of a patient developing a hospital-acquired infection.

"Our results should not be a cause for concern for single people who have had a heart attack. But they should certainly be a reminder to the medical community of the importance of considering the support a heart attack survivor will get once they're discharged," commented Dr Nicholas Gollop of the University of East Anglia.

Commenting on the results, Dr Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation pointed out that a heart attack can have major physical and psychological effects on a person, ‘most of which are hidden from the outside world'.

"These findings suggest the support offered by a spouse can have a beneficial effect on heart attack survivors, perhaps helping to minimise the impact of a heart attack," he added.

Details of these findings were presented at the British Cardiovascular Society's Annual Conference in Manchester.