A stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. In the majority of cases this happens because a clot has interrupted the flow of blood. However, it can also be caused by a blood vessel bursting.
There are a number of factors that can raise your risk of having a stroke. People who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, for example are all more likely to experience one.
However, lifestyle habits can also influence your risk of a stroke. For this reason, the NHS recommends you don’t smoke, and urge people to cut back on alcohol. They also encourage people to exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
Now a study has revealed another potential risk factor for stroke that affects millions of Brits.
Research, published in The Lancet, found that people who feel lonely for long periods of time are more vulnerable to a stroke.
More specifically, participants in the study who reported feeling lonely at two interviews four years apart were found to be at a 56 percent higher risk.
This was the first time long-term loneliness had been considered in this way, as previous studies had only taken it into account at a single time.
As part of the study, the team analysed data from the Health and Retirement Study in the US, conducted from 2006 to 2018.
They only focused on participants aged 50 and over with two recorded measurements of loneliness who had never had a stroke before, which totalled 8,936 participants.
They were categorised depending on the severity of their loneliness and whether it occurred on just the first interview (remitting) or the second (recent).
Remitting and recent participants were found to be 25 percent more likely to have a stroke, while people with low loneliness scores were found to be at no increased risk.
Individuals with a consistently high loneliness pattern over time had significantly higher incident stroke risk – 56 percent – compared to those with a consistently low loneliness pattern.
This could put millions of Brits at risk. According to data from the Campaign to End Loneliness, 49 percent of adults in the UK reported feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes, often or always in 2022.
And approximately 7.1 percent of people (3.83 million) experience chronic loneliness, meaning they feel lonely “often or always”.
The study summarised: “In conclusion, loneliness can result in a higher risk for incident stroke and those experiencing chronic loneliness may be particularly at risk.
“Addressing loneliness may have an important role in the prevention of incident stroke.”
However, the team noted that further research was needed to cement the connection.
”Future studies should examine more comprehensive loneliness trajectories over time to examine whether the association is sustained, examine the underlying mechanisms between loneliness and incident stroke, and whether interventions targeting loneliness are effective in preventing stroke,” they said.
The main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the word FAST:
- Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped
- Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you’re saying to them
- Time – it’s time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.
If you think someone is experiencing a stroke you should call 999.