Middle-aged Canadians who have suffered a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest are less likely to be working three years later. That’s according to a new study that also points out that those who can keep working often experience a significant drop in income. The study, published in today’s Canadian Medical Association Journal, looked at the long-term effects of cardiovascular events on people’s capacity to work and any changes in their annual earnings. It showed one-third of heart attacks, a quarter of strokes and 40 per cent of cardiac arrests occur in working people under 65 and can result in lingering disabilities.