Research shows that loneliness can significantly increase the risk of stroke in older adults.
The study conducted by experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health was published in the journal eClinicalMedicine on June 24. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted due to blocked or ruptured blood vessels, leading to rapid cell death in the brain.
According to Yenee Soh, a research collaborator in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, loneliness is considered a major public health issue. She and her colleagues found that loneliness can increase the risk of stroke, which is one of the leading causes of disability and death worldwide.
Previous studies have indicated that loneliness may be related to the development of cardiovascular disease. However, very few experts have examined its specific impact on stroke. This new research is one of the first to investigate this relationship.
The study utilized data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) from 2006 to 2018, involving more than 12,600 volunteers aged 50 and older who had never experienced a stroke. Volunteers were asked to respond to a survey based on the modified UCLA Loneliness Scale.
Loneliness may be related to stroke in older adults. (Photo: Pexel).
After four years, experts categorized the volunteers into five groups and analyzed the stroke risk in each group over time, correlating it with their levels of loneliness while considering other health and behavioral risk factors.
The results indicate that lonely individuals have a higher risk of stroke. The group that frequently lived in solitude exhibited the highest stroke risk. Those experiencing moderate loneliness also had a 25% higher stroke rate compared to those without this condition.
Experts note that further analyses are needed to explore the nuances of loneliness within each group. This could shed more light on the relationship between loneliness and stroke occurrences.
