Older adults who experience chronic loneliness have a 56% higher risk of stroke than those who are not lonely. According to a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:.
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy last year called attention to the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation across the country, warning that a lack of social connections increases the risk of premature death by more than 60%. Now, researchers at Harvard University say they are among the first to examine the link between changes in loneliness over time and stroke risk.
The study authors asked 12,161 adults over the age of 50 who had not experienced a stroke to share information about their loneliness. Four years later, 8,936 of the study participants answered the same questions.
Based on both sets of results, participants were split into four groups: “consistently low” (those who scored low on the loneliness scale twice), “remitted” (those who scored high on the first and low on the second), “recent onset” (those who scored low initially and high on the follow-up), and “consistently high” (those who scored high on both occasions).
During eight years of follow-up, 601 of the 8,936 participants suffered a stroke, the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.
The researchers found that those with “consistently high” loneliness had a 56% higher risk of stroke than those with “consistently low” loneliness.
The other two groups of patients (‘in remission’ and ‘recent onset’) did not have an increased risk of stroke, suggesting that the effect of loneliness on stroke risk may be longer term.
The survey results are Released on Monday In eClinicalMedicine.
“Repeated assessments of loneliness may help identify people who are chronically lonely and at increased risk for stroke,” said lead author Yenny So, a researcher in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “Failure to address their loneliness at both the micro and macro levels could have serious health consequences.”
Saw pointed out that loneliness and social isolation are not the same thing. Researchers at Harvard University Social isolation is the lack of human contact and meaningful relationships, while loneliness is the feeling of being alone because relationships do not satisfy the need for connection.
Sow’s team hopes that further research will shed light on how the link between loneliness and stroke works.
- Connect with friends and family every day
- Avoid distractions during family time or important conversations
- Participate in community service activities
- Find a new hobby or join a club
- Supporting others
- If you need help, please reach out to a family member, friend, counselor, health care provider, or the 988 Crisis Line.
