Feelings of loneliness in the elderly are associated with a big increase in the risk of dementia, a Dutch study found. (click below to read more)
Age and depression, among other things, have been linked to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. In this study, researchers seeking to determine the role of social isolation followed 2,173 participants in the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly for three years.
When researchers adjusted their results statistically, they found that most indicators of isolation, such as living alone, weren't linked to dementia. Feelings of loneliness were, however. People who said they felt lonely were 64% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia three years after their initial assessment.
A sense of loneliness could be an early warning sign of preclinical dementia, or perhaps loneliness could affect mental processes, including memory, the authors suggested.
"Feelings of Loneliness, but Not Social Isolation, Predict Dementia Onset: Results from the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly," Tjalling Jan Holwerda, Dorly J.H. Deeg and five other authors, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (Dec. 10)
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