Social isolation increases risk of heart attacks, strokes: Study

Team Udayavani, May 24, 2020, 6:07 PM IST

A new study from Germany has shown that social isolation puts people at an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke

The study was conducted by Dr. Janine Gronewold and Professor Dirk M. Hermann from the University Hospital in Essen, Germany. They analyzed data on 4,316 people, average age being 59 years old who had been recruited for research between 2000 and 2003

The study found that those who are socially isolated are almost 50% more likely to die from any cause and are over 40% more likely to have a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke. The research also showed that a lack of financial support independently increased the risk of cardiovascular events.

Professor Jockel, HNR said, “This observation is of particular interest in the present discussion on the Covid-19 pandemic, where social contacts are or have been relevantly restricted in most societies.”

Also, the study participants entered the study with no known cardiovascular disease and they were followed for an average of 13 years. During the 13.4 years of follow-up, 339 cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes occurred, and there were 530 deaths among the study participants.