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Loneliness is bad for the heart, its a strong predictor of premature death, feeling lonely was a stronger predictor of poor outcomes than living alone, in both men and women. Previous research has shown that loneliness and social isolation are linked with coronary heart disease and stroke, but this has not been investigated in patients with different types of cardiovascular disease.
The study investigated whether poor social network was associated with worse outcomes in patients with ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), heart failure, or heart valve disease. Data from national registers was linked with the DenHeart survey, which asked all patients discharged from April 2013 to April 2014 from five heart centers in Denmark to answer a questionnaire about their physical and mental health, lifestyle factors such as smoking, and social support.
Social support was measured using registry data on living alone or not, and survey questions about feeling lonely. Feeling lonely was associated with poor outcomes in all patients regardless of their type of heart disease, and after adjusting for age, level of education, other diseases, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol intake.
Loneliness was associated with a doubled mortality risk in women and nearly doubled 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.
Loneliness is a strong predictor of premature death, worse mental health, and lower quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease, and a much stronger predictor than living alone, in both men and women. People with poor social support may have worse health outcomes because they have unhealthy lifestyles and are more affected by stressful events.
haleplushearty.org