25 Jun 2024 • Chronic loneliness is linked to an increased risk of stroke. Taking steps to address loneliness could play a crucial role in stroke prevention, and regularly assessing levels of loneliness could help identify individuals who are particularly vulnerable.

• This study looked at data from the Health and Retirement Study in the United States from 2006 to 2018. The findings showed that higher loneliness scores at the start of the study were associated with a higher risk of stroke.

• Each unit increase in loneliness score at baseline was associated with a 5% higher hazard of incident stroke (HR: 1.05). Participants classified as lonely at baseline had a 25% higher hazard of incident stroke compared to non-lonely participants (HR: 1.25). Individuals who reported consistently high levels of loneliness over time had a 56% higher hazard of incident stroke compared to those with consistently low loneliness levels (HR: 1.56). This association persisted even after adjusting for depressive symptoms and social isolation.

The study highlights that both baseline loneliness levels and long-term patterns of loneliness are independently associated with an increased risk of stroke. The association with stroke risk remained significant even after accounting for social isolation but was partially mediated by depressive symptoms.

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