Can loneliness be a reason for heart attack?

Stress is a contributing factor towards rise in cases of heart attack, but several health experts have also said loneliness to be another potential risk factor. Heart attack incidents are increasing day by day, and what is more shocking is that the age of those who are succumbing to heart attacks is getting younger with each reported case.

In order to understand how loneliness can be a reason for heart attack, we at ETimes-TOI spoke to experts.

Read: Combining vitamin supplements linked to increased cancer risk

While we all consider loneliness as staying alone, the actual meaning is quite deep and important to understand. Loneliness is what disables a man's ability to live together, talk freely to someone, to get into social get togethers and communicate properly.

Loneliness, which has a detrimental effect on one's health, is often associated with social isolation.

One can stay alone but not feel lonely, and one can be with people but feel lonely.

In order to understand the effect of loneliness on major body organs like the heart, it is important to understand what loneliness actually stands for.

"Social isolation and loneliness are significant phenomena seen all over the world due to digitalisation & overuse of social media activities which lead to depression and increased cardiovascular incidents worldwide in the form of hypertension, heart diseases and metabolic disorders," says Dr Lal Daga, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad and explains that loneliness is a perceived discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships. Usually, it arises from relationships that are of poorer quality than wanted.

He adds that several studies have found that social isolation and loneliness are related to a 20-30% increase in cardiovascular episodes. Overall episodes of mortality and morbidity increase as well as surviving age reduces due to loneliness.

Citing a research study by University of New York, Dr. Naveen Bhamri, Director and HOD - Interventional cardiologist, Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh, explains that loneliness or social isolation is associated with an increase in about 29% of risk of heart attacks and 32% risk in stroke. The study in reference is based on 1,81,000 patients where the detrimental effect of loneliness on the health was found to spike at an alarming level.

On this, Dr Bhamri explains, "Loneliness can lead to stress, anxiety, increased smoking and physical inactivity which results in increased chances of heart attack." Sedentary lifestyle, less physical activity, more screen time and the ease of doing chores is making the health more prone to diseases. These lifestyle habits gradually add up the risk and after a certain time make an irreversible change in the health.

Apart from cardiovascular diseases, there are several other ways loneliness can affect your body. First of all it can induce feelings of depression and stress which are the silent killers of physical health.

Experts at John Hopkins University say that depression and heart attacks occur together. "A percentage of people with no history of depression become depressed after a heart attack or after developing heart failure. And people with depression but no previously detected heart disease, seem to develop heart disease at a higher rate than the general population," says a report.

On the effects of loneliness, Dr Bhamri has a different explanation. Citing another research study he says, "loneliness may trigger fight-or-flight stress signaling that may affect the body's production of white blood cells. The signal may increase inflammation in the body and decrease its antiviral response, meaning people who feel lonely have a less effective immune response."

As per one meta-analysis of 70 studies, lonely individuals have 26% greater odds of early mortality than non-lonely individuals.

This alarming data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is a proof of the severity of the disease and is also a testimony of our unpreparedness towards the disease.

The WHO says, 85% of the deaths which occur due to cardiovascular diseases, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke.

One of the most startling facts of the WHO data is that 38% of the premature deaths that occured in 2019 were due to heart diseases like coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

This huge number of premature deaths requires our attention towards a proper management of the condition.

“It has to be dealt with at the societal level through educational campaigns and government public and specific health programmes. And at the community level by community clubs, camps and engagement and at the individual level by cognitive therapy and individual psychosocial counselling,” says Dr Daga.

Apart from that, it is important to focus on both physical and mental health. Only emphasizing on physical health will have absolutely zero impact if the mental health is not sound. The intangible aspects of health like social interaction, communication and getting along with people should be taken care of.