Being laid off from work is always stressful and can even cause physical problems. Now, new research suggests that when the layoff occurs near retirement age, the effects on health can be much greater.

Researchers from Yale who studied people who lost their jobs after age 50 found that they had twice the risk of stroke and heart attack as people their age who were still working.

The researchers, led by Dr. William T. Gallo, followed the health of almost 600 people for 10 years after they were laid off.

"The true costs of late career unemployment exceed financial deprivation, and include substantial health consequences," the researchers wrote in the June issue of the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Apart from the loss of income, the study said, layoffs near retirement can disrupt longstanding social networks. And someone laid off after age 50 is also likely to have more trouble finding another job than a younger worker.

In an earlier study, the researchers followed the same group of people for six years and found a higher risk of stroke, but not heart attack. The heart attack findings came after the study period was expanded to 10 years.

The health differences between the employed and unemployed people held true even after factors like smoking and overall health were taken into account, the study said.

The researchers suggested that doctors treating older patients who have been laid off should take special care to watch for changes in their vascular health.