Loneliness is bad for the heart and a strong predictor of premature death, according to a new study. The study found that feeling lonely was a better predictor of poor outcomes than living alone, in both men and women. The study examined whether poor social network was associated with worse outcomes in 13,463 patients with ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), heart failure or valvular heart disease. Data from national registries was linked to the DenHeart survey, which asked all patients discharged from five heart centers in Denmark from April 2013 to April 2014 to answer a questionnaire about their physical and mental health, lifestyle factors such as smoking and social support.
Social support was measured using records of living alone or not, and survey questions about feeling lonely – Do you have someone to talk to when you need it? Do you sometimes feel alone even though you want to be with someone? “It was important to collect information about both, because people can live alone but not feel lonely, while others live together but feel lonely,” the researcher explained.
Feeling lonely was associated with poor outcomes in all patients, regardless of their type of heart disease, and even after adjusting for age, education level, other illnesses, body mass index, smoking and alcohol consumption. Loneliness was associated with a doubled death risk in women and nearly a doubling of the 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.
