By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    What Are the Benefits of CBD?
    November 27, 2021
    How to Measure Adult Diapers- The Ultimate Guide to Picking the Right Size
    March 8, 2022
    medicine cabinet
    The Effect Of Finished Dosage Form Manufacturing In New Drugs
    July 5, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Tooth Decay Marielaina Perrone DDS
    Is Your Child’s Education Affected By Tooth Decay?
    December 13, 2012
    Image
    Millions of Americans Could Lose ACA Subsidies
    July 21, 2014
    Image
    IVF: The Three Biggest Myths
    March 22, 2013
    Latest News
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Researchers Seek Link Between Your Health and Your Surname
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Researchers Seek Link Between Your Health and Your Surname
Wellness

Researchers Seek Link Between Your Health and Your Surname

Susan Scutti
Last updated: December 15, 2013 9:00 am
Susan Scutti
Share
4 Min Read
health research
SHARE

health researchWhat’s in a name? For those who believe in nominative determinism, which suggests that people feel compelled to enter a particular profession based on their surname, well, your very future is in your name.

health researchWhat’s in a name? For those who believe in nominative determinism, which suggests that people feel compelled to enter a particular profession based on their surname, well, your very future is in your name. A set of researchers based in Dublin set out to prove that your health is also contained within your name — and if your last name happens to be “Trust,” they just may have accomplished this.

Right on time for a little Christmas cheer, the British Medical Journal offers us a new study that begins with the authors gravely hypothesizing that people with a last name of “Brady” would have a higher incidence of bradycardia (slow heart rate). First they scoured online residential telephone listings to determine the number of people in Dublin with the surname Brady. Then, because the prevalence of bradyarrhythmia is unknown, they used pacemaker surgery as an indication of bradycardia. Accessing the pacemaker database at a university teaching hospital in Dublin, they calculated the proportion of pacemakers implanted in patients named Brady over 61 months up to February 2013.

And what did they find? They discovered 579 Bradys listed in the phone directory as well as 1,012 total pacemakers fitted at the teaching hospital during their study period. Even more, they determined that eight devices (or 0.8 percent of the total) were implanted in patients named Brady. The proportion of pacemaker recipients among Bradys (1.38 percent), then was significantly higher than among non-Bradys (0.61 percent).

Yet the researchers were not completely satisfied with their results as they discovered a high percentage of male patients in the Brady pacemaker group to be noteworthy. “It suggests that the effect of the name Brady on your conduction system is likely only to be seen in people born as Brady rather than those who become Brady when they get married,” wrote the authors in their study. “Indeed, the number of true Bradys with pacemakers may have been underestimated, because female patients with pacemakers whose maiden name was Brady were not determined in this study.”

In conclusion the authors speculated that “further research could include investigating increased rates of obesity in the Fatt family or depression in people whose surname is Lowe. We believe that this finding could have an important role in public health medicine, and screening programmes that are name specific could be developed for families at risk.” Surprisingly, not one of the researchers is named Murth.

 
Source: Keaney JJ, Groarke JD, Galvin Z, et al.  The Brady Bunch? New evidence for nominative determinism in patients’ health: retrospective, population based cohort study. British Medical Journal. 2013.
 
(what’s in a name? / shutterstock)
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Wellness

5 Ways Resistance Training Might Benefit Health

May 1, 2018
natural health therapy
Wellness

Natural Therapies Lead the Way in Health

August 24, 2013
cardio and muscle building are both important
Wellness

Why Strength Training and Cardio Are Both Indispensable

September 16, 2021
SpecialtiesWellness

Top 5 Multi-Purpose Natural Remedies

August 20, 2020
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?