Couples not only sharing love but also same diseases

A story released today by the Reuters reports that couples share more than their homes, cars and finances -- they are also likely to have some of the same diseases, experts say.

If a partner suffers from asthma, depression, peptic ulcers, high blood pressure or raised cholesterol levels, the chances are their partner will be afflicted with the same illness.

"Partners of people with specific diseases are at increased risk of the disease themselves -- at least 70 percent increased risk for asthma, depression and peptic ulcer disease," said Julia Hippisley Cox of the University of Nottingham.

Cox and her colleagues studied the medical history of 8,000 married couples, aged 30 to 74. After adjusting for age, obesity and smoking status, which also have an impact on disease risk, they found that spouses whose partners had a certain illness had a higher risk than the general population of suffering from the same disease.