Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies
- PMID: 27091846
- PMCID: PMC4941172
- DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2015-308790
Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies
Abstract
Background: The influence of social relationships on morbidity is widely accepted, but the size of the risk to cardiovascular health is unclear.
Objective: We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between loneliness or social isolation and incident coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.
Methods: Sixteen electronic databases were systematically searched for longitudinal studies set in high-income countries and published up until May 2015. Two independent reviewers screened studies for inclusion and extracted data. We assessed quality using a component approach and pooled data for analysis using random effects models.
Results: Of the 35 925 records retrieved, 23 papers met inclusion criteria for the narrative review. They reported data from 16 longitudinal datasets, for a total of 4628 CHD and 3002 stroke events recorded over follow-up periods ranging from 3 to 21 years. Reports of 11 CHD studies and 8 stroke studies provided data suitable for meta-analysis. Poor social relationships were associated with a 29% increase in risk of incident CHD (pooled relative risk: 1.29, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.59) and a 32% increase in risk of stroke (pooled relative risk: 1.32, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.68). Subgroup analyses did not identify any differences by gender.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that deficiencies in social relationships are associated with an increased risk of developing CHD and stroke. Future studies are needed to investigate whether interventions targeting loneliness and social isolation can help to prevent two of the leading causes of death and disability in high-income countries.
Study registration number: CRD42014010225.
Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/
Figures
Comment in
-
Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for CVD: implications for evidence-based patient care and scientific inquiry.Heart. 2016 Jul 1;102(13):987-9. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2015-309242. Epub 2016 Apr 18. Heart. 2016. PMID: 27091845 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
-
Loneliness and social isolation and increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: clinical implications.Heart. 2016 Dec 15;102(24):2016. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2016-310073. Heart. 2016. PMID: 27888229 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
The impact of social isolation and loneliness on cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and bibliometric investigation.Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 4;14(1):12871. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63528-4. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 38834606 Free PMC article.
-
Are social isolation, lack of social support or loneliness risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Australia and New Zealand? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Health Promot J Austr. 2022 Oct;33 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):278-315. doi: 10.1002/hpja.592. Epub 2022 Mar 31. Health Promot J Austr. 2022. PMID: 35263481 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Loneliness, social isolation and risk of cardiovascular disease in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2018 Sep;25(13):1387-1396. doi: 10.1177/2047487318792696. Epub 2018 Aug 2. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2018. PMID: 30068233 Review.
-
Does social isolation, social support or loneliness influence health or well-being after a cardiovascular disease event? A narrative thematic systematic review.Health Soc Care Community. 2022 Jan;30(1):e16-e38. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13427. Epub 2021 May 24. Health Soc Care Community. 2022. PMID: 34028106 Review.
-
Oral Health, Loneliness and Social Isolation. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.J Nutr Health Aging. 2022;26(7):675-680. doi: 10.1007/s12603-022-1806-8. J Nutr Health Aging. 2022. PMID: 35842757 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
The impact of social isolation and loneliness on cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and bibliometric investigation.Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 4;14(1):12871. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63528-4. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 38834606 Free PMC article.
-
County-level political group density, partisan polarization, and individual-level mortality among adults in the United States: A lagged multilevel study.SSM Popul Health. 2024 Mar 19;26:101662. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101662. eCollection 2024 Jun. SSM Popul Health. 2024. PMID: 38813457 Free PMC article.
-
The Impact of Resistance Training on Equilibrium Abilities and Quality of Life in Older Adults after SARS-CoV-2 Survival.J Clin Med. 2024 May 7;13(10):2747. doi: 10.3390/jcm13102747. J Clin Med. 2024. PMID: 38792288 Free PMC article.
-
Reducing Loneliness through the Power of Practicing Together: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Online Dyadic Socio-Emotional vs. Mindfulness-Based Training.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Apr 29;21(5):570. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21050570. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024. PMID: 38791785 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Early-life circumstances and late life loneliness trajectories among Finnish older adults.BMC Geriatr. 2024 May 24;24(1):459. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-04967-6. BMC Geriatr. 2024. PMID: 38789957 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Berkman LF, Glass TA. Social network epidemiology. In: Berkman LF, Kawachi I. Social Epidemiology. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014:234–89.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous