Loneliness – Is it a Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s?

Loneliness is different from social isolation. The latter is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, but there has been less certainty about the risk offered by perceived isolation, i.e. loneliness. Scientists at rush University in Chicago have tackled this problem, and published their findings in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

823 senior citizens who were free of dementia were assessed for loneliness using a special questionnaire annually, for 4 years. For any participant who died, a brain exam was done at autopsy to determine the presence of Alzheimer’s disease or any other form of dementia. During the study, 76 subjects developed clinical Alzheimer’s disease. Using a 5-point scale to assess loneliness, it was found that the average score was 3.2 for Alzheimer-diagnosed patients, compared with 1.4 for non-not-lonely subjects. In other words, the risk for developing Alzheimer symptoms was more than doubled in the lonely people. And these findings were not affected by indications of social isolation (e.g. living alone).

Perhaps this result isn’t too surprising – after all, loneliness, even if it’s a purely subjective impression, is a pretty distressing condition. But the surprise came when the brains of 90 participants were examined subsequently. Loneliness was found to be unrelated to the pathological findings in the brains. So one must modify the headline to read: “Loneliness is a risk factor for an Alzheimer-like dementia”. The scientists suggest that “novel neurobiologic mechanisms may be involved”. Of course, it may be that they didn’t consider all the possible effects of loneliness, such as an increase in blood pressure.

From a practical point of view, any dementia is something to be avoided. If we know of someone who is at risk (i.e. someone who believes that they are alone, or someone who is in fact socially isolated), we can help by getting them appropriate care. This may ward off deterioration into dementia of one kind or another.

“One may have a blazing hearth in one's soul, and yet no one ever comes to sit by it” ( Vincent van Gogh ).