Lonely hearts linked to increased all-cause mortality

Takeaway

• Among patients with cardiac disease, loneliness at hospital discharge is linked to increased risk for mortality at 1 year and to poor patient-reported outcomes, regardless of sex or cardiovascular diagnosis.

Why this matters

• These authors say that loneliness should be a part of the clinical risk assessment for these patients.

Key results

• All-cause mortality was associated with feeling lonely in both sexes (HRs [95% CIs]):
  • Women: 2.92 (1.55-5.49).
  • Men: 2.14 (1.43-3.22).
• In contrast, living alone did not show an association for women but was a predictor of cardiac events in men: HR, 1.39 (95% CI, 1.05-1.85).
• Living alone was, however, tied to reduced risk for anxiety symptoms (ORs [95% CIs]):
  • Women: 0.71 (0.59-0.85).
  • Men: 0.80 (0.69-0.93).
• Living alone and loneliness did not show an interaction.

Study design

• National cross-sectional survey, Denmark.
• 13,446 patients with cardiac disease were assessed at hospital discharge with a self-reported questionnaire.
• Funding: Helsefonden; Novo Nordisk Foundation; others.

Limitations

• Non-response bias cannot be ruled out.
• No information about physical activity, BP, cardiac medications.