In people who are on self-isolation, the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke is more than 40%, doctors say.
A German study presented at the virtual congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) showed that those who are isolated are almost 50% more likely to die from any cause.
According to surveys, people did not want to seek medical help again during the epidemic because of the fear of contracting a coronavirus.
In their work, scientists analyzed the data of 4316 people (average age 59.1 years), who were previously involved in a large study in the period from 2000 to 2003.
At the start of the study, the participants did not suffer any cardiovascular diseases and have already been under medical supervision for almost 13 years. Information was collected on various types of social support, such as marital status and cohabitation, contacts with close friends and family, and membership in political, religious, social, sports, or professional organizations.
We have long known that a feeling of loneliness or lack of contact with close friends and family can have an impact on your physical health. This study confirmed that the presence of social relations is of great importance for heart health and the general condition of the body, – scientists write.
This observation is of particular interest in the current discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic, where social contacts are limited and people have to isolate themselves.
Over 13 years of follow-up, 339 cardiovascular diseases (heart attacks or strokes) occurred and 530 deaths were recorded among study participants. After adjusting other factors that could cause these events and deaths, it turned out that self-isolation and loneliness increase the risk of stroke by 44%.
We still do not fully understand why people who are in social isolation have such poor results. A recent study that examined the effects of self-isolation during a coronavirus pandemic showed that people, for fear of contracting infection, put off routines and operations. – concluded the authors.
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