Lonely old age is a risk factor

Scientists at the University of California at San Francisco analyzed data collected as part of a nationally representative study conducted by the US National Institute of Aging, in which 1,604 people over the age of 60 took part in the period from 2002 to 2008. The average age of the participants was 71 years, 81% were of European, 11% – African–American and 2% - unknown ethnic origin.

One of the most unexpected results of the analysis was that the feeling of loneliness experienced does not always correlate with actual loneliness (living alone). It turned out that 43% of the study participants felt lonely, while only 18% of them actually lived alone.

At the same time, people who felt lonely were characterized by a 59% higher risk of deterioration of health and a 45% higher risk of death.

The authors believe that for older people, the effect of feeling lonely is different from the effects of depression. While depression is associated with the inability to enjoy life and lack of energy and motivation, loneliness can be felt by people who are full from a functional point of view, but feel unnecessary or abandoned.

The world is already facing the problem of population aging, and in the near future this problem will be further aggravated. To date, changing the genetic characteristics of a person remains a difficult task, so we should make every effort to preserve the health of the elderly with the help of available methods, including the fight against loneliness.

Article by Carla M. Perissinottoet al. Loneliness in Older Persons: A Predictor of Functional Decline and Death is published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of California, San Francisco:
Loneliness Linked to Serious Health Problems and Death Among Elderly.

19.06.2012