The solitude can it be deadly? Two studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine highlight the health hazards of living alone and feeling lonely.
The first study by researchers at Harvard Medical School followed for four years the health of 45,000 people who had had cardiovascular disease or were at risk of having one. It turned out that those who lived alone were more likely to die of a heart attack, stroke or heart problems than those who did not live alone.
The incidence was greater in the youngest participants, aged 45 to 65. This age group was the most at risk with a 24% higher risk of premature death. Among 66-80 year olds, living alone only increased the risk of mortality by 12%. Among those over 80, no relationship between loneliness and mortality was observed.
Why this difference according to age? Between the ages of 45 and 64, it is less common to live alone. As a result, this loneliness would be more poorly experienced, according to the researchers, and would be accompanied by social unrest such as depressiona stress professional or relational. Conversely, living alone at an advanced age would be a sign of autonomy, independence and mental strength.
The second study conducted by Dr. Perissinotto, a researcher at the University of California at San Francisco, looked at the feeling of loneliness and social isolation. 1,604 people aged 71 on average were asked about their feelings of loneliness and lack of company. Their ability to perform tasks of daily living was assessed for six years. As a result, participants who felt lonely had a 59% increased risk of losing their autonomy in daily life. They had a 45% higher mortality risk than those who did not feel alone.
These studies show the importance of assessing a person’s psychological well-being as well as physical well-being in understanding their health status. “We are trained to ask a patient about their physical environment but not to ask them about their feeling of loneliness”, corroborates Dr Perissinotto.
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