People are more likely to suffer a second heart attack or stroke if they are poorer or are divorced, a new study has found.

Swedish researchers set out to investigate the link between a person's socioeconomic status and their risk of suffering a second heart attack or stroke, having previously survived such an event.

The study involved almost 30,000 patients who had been discharged from hospital one year after treatment for a first heart attack.

These patients were then followed up for an average of four years, during which time, more than 2,400 suffered another heart attack or stroke.

The researchers found that divorced people had a 14% increased risk of suffering a second heart attack or stroke compared to married people.

However, when it came to a person's income, the risk was even greater. Those in the highest disposable income group were 36% less likely to suffer a second adverse event compared to those in the lowest income group.

"Our study shows that in the years following a first myocardial infarction (heart attack), men and women with low socioeconomic status have a higher risk of suffering another heart attack or stroke. This is a new finding and suggests that socioeconomic status should be included in risk assessment for secondary prevention after a heart attack.

"Even though healthcare providers are unlikely to keep track of their patients' yearly salary, simple questions about other socioeconomic variables, such as marital status and educational level, could make a difference," commented the study's lead author, Dr Joel Ohm, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

Details of these findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2016, which took place in Italy recently.