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Loneliness links to poor heart outcomes and doubled mortality risk
Loneliness is bad for the heart and a strong predictor
of premature death, according to a study presented at
EuroHeartCare 2018, the European Society of Cardiology’s
annual nursing congress. The study found that feeling lonely
was a stronger predictor of poor outcomes than living alone,
in both men and women.
‘Loneliness is more common today than ever before, and
more people live alone,’ said Anne Vinggaard Christensen,
studyauthor andPhDstudent, TheHeartCentre,Copenhagen
University Hospital, Denmark. ‘Previous research has shown
that loneliness and social isolation are linked with coronary
heart disease and stroke, but this has not been investigated in
patients with different types of cardiovascular disease.’
The study investigated whether poor social network
was associated with worse outcomes in 13 463 patients
with ischaemic heart disease, arrhythmia (abnormal heart
rhythm), heart failure, or heart valve disease. Data from
national registers was linked with the DenHeart survey, which
asked all patients discharged from April 2013 to April 2014
from five heart centres in Denmark to answer a questionnaire
about their physical and mental health, lifestyle factors such
as smoking, and social support.
Social support was measured using registry data on living
alone or not, and survey questions about feeling lonely – Do
you have someone to talk to when you need it? Do you feel
alone sometimes even though you want to be with someone?
‘It was important to collect information on both, since people
may live alone but not feel lonely while others cohabit but do
feel lonely,’ explained Vinggaard Christensen.
Feeling lonely was associated with poor outcomes in all
patients regardless of their type of heart disease, and even
after adjusting for age, level of education, other diseases,
body mass index, smoking and alcohol intake. Loneliness
was associated with a doubled mortality risk in women and
nearly doubled risk in men. Both men and women who felt
lonely were three times more likely to report symptoms of
anxiety and depression and had a significantly lower quality
of life than those who did not feel lonely.
‘Loneliness is a strong predictor of premature death, worse
mental health, and lower quality of life in patients with
cardiovascular disease, and a much stronger predictor than living
alone, in both men and women,’ said Vinggaard Christensen.
Vinggaard Christensen noted that people with poor social
support may have worse health outcomes because they have
unhealthier lifestyles, are less compliant with treatment,
and are more affected by stressful events. But she said: ‘We
adjusted for lifestyle behaviours and many other factors in
our analysis, and still found that loneliness is bad for health.’
She concluded: ‘We live in a time when loneliness is more
present and health providers should take this into account
when assessing risk. Our study shows that asking two
questions about social support provides a lot of information
about the likelihood of having poor health outcomes.’
European guidelines on cardiovascular prevention state
that people who are isolated or disconnected from others
are at increased risk of developing and dying prematurely
from coronary artery disease. The guidelines recommend
assessment of psychosocial risk factors in patients with
established cardiovascular disease and those at high risk of
developing cardiovascular disease.
Source:
Medical Brief 2018