June 25, 2024 – Loneliness isn’t only a way of thinking – it will probably be a matter of life and death.
At least, that's what groundbreaking research from Harvard University suggests. Their latest study takes a detailed take a look at how feelings of isolation, often dismissed as a natural a part of aging, can dramatically increase the chance of a significant stroke in middle-aged and older adults.
“Loneliness is increasingly viewed as a major public health problem. Our findings clearly demonstrate why this is the case,” said lead creator Yenee Soh, ScD, of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in a opinion“Our study suggests that loneliness, especially when chronic, may play an important role in the incidence of stroke. Stroke is already a leading cause of long-term disability and death worldwide.”
The researchers examined the results of chronic loneliness in a novel way. Previous studies had linked loneliness in some unspecified time in the future to heart and brain health.
More than a 3rd of adults ages 45 and older say they feel lonely, in line with a 2020 study report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Loneliness is defined as the sensation of being alone, independent of social contacts.
For this latest study, the researchers examined the outcomes of a Loneliness Rating Scale for greater than 12,000 people aged 50 and over between 2006 and 2018. They had no history of stroke firstly of the study and were asked:
- How often do you are feeling like you’re missing company?
- How often do you are feeling excluded?
- How often do you are feeling isolated from others?
People who reported chronic loneliness had a 56% higher risk of stroke than individuals who reported not feeling lonely. There was no significantly higher risk of stroke for individuals who reported situational loneliness and never long-term loneliness. The results were published Monday within the Journal eClinical Medicine.
Strokes are the fifth leading reason for death within the United States and mostly occur when blood supply to the brain is interrupted, leading to brain damage or death attributable to lack of oxygen and nutrients.