Beware! Loneliness can lead to stroke

New York

The findings showed that loneliness and social isolation was associated with a 29 percent increased risk of a heart or angina attack and a 32 percent heightened risk of having a stroke.

"It suggests that addressing loneliness and social isolation may have an important role in the prevention of two of the leading causes of morbidity in high-income countries," said researchers from York, Liverpool and Newcastle universities.

The study, involving more than 1,81,000 adults, included 4,628 coronary heart disease "events" heart attacks, angina and death and 3,002 strokes recorded during monitoring periods ranging from three to 21 years.

The results back public health concerns about the importance of social contacts for health and well-being.

"But one of the greatest challenges will be how to design effective interventions to boost social connections, taking account of technology," the authors pointed out in a paper published online in the journal Heart.

"Further attention to social connections is needed in research and public health surveillance, prevention and intervention efforts," they noted.