Living alone increases the risk of stroke

The study, conducted by experts at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, was published in the journal eClinicalMedicine on June 24. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is cut off due to a blocked or ruptured blood vessel, causing brain cells to rapidly die in large numbers.

Loneliness is considered a major public health problem, according to Yenee Soh, a research associate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 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 shown that loneliness may be linked to the development of cardiovascular disease. However, few experts have examined its specific impact on stroke. The new study is one of the first to examine this link.

The study used data from the 2006-2018 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), which involved more than 12,600 volunteers, all aged 50 or older who had never had a stroke. Volunteers were asked to respond to a survey based on the revised UCLA Loneliness Scale.

After 4 years, experts classified the volunteers into 5 groups, analyzed the risk of stroke in each group over time, related to their loneliness level, taking into account health and safety risk factors. other behavior.

The results showed that lonely people have a higher risk of stroke. Groups that often live alone have the highest risk of stroke. People who are moderately lonely also have a stroke rate 25% higher than people who do not experience this condition.

The experts note that further analysis is needed to examine the nuances of loneliness within each group, which could shed further light on the condition’s link to stroke.

Thuc Linh (Theo MedicalXpress)