Worse as you get older…
In France, the number of new cases of cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) is estimated at around 150,000 per year. This means that one in five people will suffer a stroke in their lifetime. It is most often caused by the blockage of a blood vessel inside the brain leading to a hemorrhage and manifests itself by muscle weakness or paralysis on one side of the body (arm, face and/or leg), a deformation of the mouth, speech disorders, loss of vision in one eye or part of the visual field. According to a new study conducted by researchers at Harvard University in the United States, the risk of stroke would be directly linked to quality of life, and more particularly to a condition that affects many people.
The researchers started with a study on health and retirement conducted by the University of Michigan in the early 2000s involving more than 12,000 people aged 50 and over who had never had a stroke. Four years later, 8,936 people who remained in the study agreed to provide new data to the researchers. Some factors were controlled for, such as depressive symptoms, social isolation and loneliness. The subjects were then classified into several groups according to their “loneliness score”.
According to the results published in the journal eClinicalMedicinehigher loneliness scores at baseline were associated with a higher risk of stroke. Worse, people with consistently high loneliness over time (compared to consistently low loneliness) had a significantly 56% higher risk of stroke. “Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a major public health problem. Our findings further illustrate why this is the case.”said Yenee Soh, lead author of the study.
The scientists added that people who experienced occasional loneliness had no increased risk of stroke, suggesting that the impact of loneliness occurs over the long term.Repeated elevations in loneliness can help identify people who are chronically lonely and therefore at higher risk of stroke. If we fail to address their feelings of loneliness, at both the micro and macro levels, this could have serious health consequences.” Yenee Soh said. Any ideas for breaking the loneliness and preserving your health?
Join clubs or community groups, take classes (cooking, music, etc.), volunteer, use social media, get out of the house (go to the park, the library, etc.), talk to your neighbors, adopt a pet, take care of yourself (do indoor sports, go to the movies, etc.). Building relationships takes time. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t go as planned right away, but continue to be open-minded.