Loneliness isn’t just bad for mental health… it increases the risk of one of the world’s biggest killers by as much as 56 percent

Long-term loneliness can increase the risk of stroke by more than half, research shows.

Middle-aged people who reported feelings of isolation were significantly more likely to have a stroke over the next decade.

According to the Harvard University study, those who experienced loneliness for years were at greatest risk.

Experts said it shows the threat chronic loneliness poses to public health and suggested screening people could help identify those at risk.

In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared loneliness a significant global health threat, linking its mortality effects to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.

While previous work has linked loneliness to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers said this is among the first to examine links specific to stroke over time.

They created a loneliness score using data from questionnaires among more than 12,000 Americans aged 50 and older, between 2006 and 2008.

Four years later, the same questions were asked again to the 8,936 people who remained in the study.

Participants were ranked as “consistently low,” “remitting” if they were previously lonely but no longer lonely, “recent onset” if they scored low at baseline and high, or “consistently high” if they were lonely at both intervals .

During follow-up until 2018, there were a total of 1,237 strokes among all people surveyed, which dropped to 601 among those who gave two ratings.

After controlling for factors like social isolation and depressive symptoms – closely related to loneliness but different – ​​researchers found that those who were lonely at the start of the study had a 25 percent higher risk of stroke than those who were not considered lonely.

The risk was greatest among those who scored consistently high – with a 56 percent greater likelihood than those who scored consistently low, according to the findings published in eClinicalMedicine.

Dr. Yenee Soh, research associate at Harvard TH – Chan School of Public Health and lead author, said: ‘Loneliness is increasingly considered a major public health problem. Our findings further highlight why this is so.

‘Especially when experienced chronically, our study suggests that loneliness may play an important role in the incidence of stroke, which is already one of the leading causes of long-term disability and death worldwide.’

Dr. Soh said people should be offered help based on their loneliness – which relates to how people feel even when surrounded by others – and not on the basis of social isolation, which is different.

She added: ‘Repeated assessments of loneliness can help identify people who are chronically lonely and therefore at higher risk of stroke.

‘If we fail to address their feelings of loneliness, on a micro and macro scale, there can be profound health consequences.’

In older adults, loneliness is associated with a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia and a 30 percent increased risk of coronary artery disease or stroke.

But loneliness is also reported to be increasing among young people.

Symptoms of a stroke are commonly remembered by this four-letter acronym, FAST. Stroke patients may often have their faces droop to one side, have difficulty lifting both arms and may have slurred speech, while time is of the essence as immediate treatment of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mild stroke can significantly reduce the risk of stroke. a much deadlier major stroke

Other – just as common – signs of an impending stroke often fall under the radar. These include sudden numbness on one side of the body, sudden dizziness and difficulty swallowing

Age UK urged the new government to make it a priority, but said everyone can ‘play their part’ by having friendly conversations with older people.

Director Caroline Abrahams said: ‘Loneliness sucks the joy out of life for far too many of us as we get older. It can undermine resilience to the stresses and strains of life and leave us feeling disconnected and left behind. This in turn can have consequences for our health. Feeling down can make it much more difficult to take care of your health and deal with a health problem. It can mean that we feel like we have nowhere to turn when we’re worried about a health problem, and that can stop us from seeking help.

‘The Government must make preventing and tackling loneliness a policy priority, backed by the funding needed to help older people avoid loneliness or reconnect with those already experiencing it.

‘At Age UK we are calling on the next government to lead the way with a renewed national loneliness strategy, presented by a committed minister and supported by an intergovernmental team.’