Loneliness increases risk of dementia by over 30 per cent, suggest studies

Loneliness is a major risk factor that increases the risk of dementia by over 30 per cent regardless of age or gender a review of 21 longterm studies involving over six lakh participants worldwide has foundLoneliness which involves one feeling dissatisfied with their social relationships was also linked with symptoms preceding the stage of being diagnosed with dementia such as cognitive impairment or declineBoth conditions affect decisionmaking memory and thought process However dementias symptoms are severe enough to interfere with ones daily functioningThe psychological state of feeling disconnected from society is now widely regarded as a risk factor for illhealth even though studies have shown that loneliness cannot directly cause the diseaseDementia is spectrum with neuropathological changes that start decades before clinical onset It is important to continue studying the link of loneliness with different cognitive outcomes or symptoms across this spectrum Martina Luchetti an assistant professor at Florida State University and lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Mental Health saidAspects of psychological wellbeing such as lacking purpose in life or feeling like there are fewer opportunities for personal growth were found to have noticeably declined three to six years before a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment The result was published in August in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and PsychiatryIn this study loneliness was found to increase overall risk of dementia by 30 per cent risk of Alzheimers disease by 39 per cent vascular dementia by 73 per cent and cognitive impairment by 15 per centAlzheimers disease is caused by accumulation of proteins in brain which is thought to cause cell death while vascular dementia is caused by damage to brains blood vesselsThe findings can help identify sources of loneliness to support the wellbeing and cognitive health of ageing adults Luchetti saidThe authors acknowledged that the study included subjects largely from the western world They called for future research to look at data from other countries including lowincome ones where cases of the ageingrelated conditions are risingWe know there are rising cases of dementia in lowincome countries Future studies need to gather more data from those countries to evaluate what are the effects of loneliness in different national and cultural contexts Luchetti addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever