Loneliness linked to high blood pressure

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that older people who are lonely are more likely to have high blood pressure.
It is already known that strong social networks are beneficial to heart health. Now a team at the University of Chicago points to loneliness as a factor in high blood pressure. They looked at a group of 229 people aged 50 to 68, asking questions to assess whether or not they were lonely. They found that being lonely could be linked to a rise of as much as 30 points in systolic (top figure) blood pressure. This is the difference between normal blood pressure and hypertension.

The link between high blood pressure and loneliness was greatest for older people and was independent of stress or depression. However, lonely people do seem to respond to stress differently from non-lonely people - seeing it as threatening rather than challenging. They also tend to respond in a passive way to stress, rather than seeking support. Maybe this explains why they are more prone to high blood pressure - for stress is known to have an adverse effect on the blood vessels. For many older people, loneliness is a fact of life - when partners die or people move away. Keeping them in active social networks and alleviating loneliness should be a priority.

Source
Psychology and AginG 28th March 2006