Social isolation and loneliness is a persistent and prevalent problem for older adults. Estimates suggest that at any point in time, roughly 32% of adults over age 55 report feeling lonely. A new research study seeks to confirm previous cross-sectional research that found a link between loneliness and elevated blood pressure.

Previous research demonstrated strong relationships between loneliness and depression and other mental health problems, such as impaired sleep, dysfunction, and greater rates of nursing home admission. Further evidence has been accumulating regarding the relationship between loneliness and physical health, although most of this research is cross-sectional, which doesn’t account for blood pressure changes that are common with aging and mask the true nature of the relationship between the two. To overcome this problem, the researchers utilized a five-year longitudinal, population-based study of adults 55 or older that could control for age-related changes in blood pressure.

The results indicated that individuals reporting greater loneliness experienced significantly greater increases in systolic blood pressure during the entire course of study. Over the course of the study, the loneliest individuals experienced a 14.4 mm greater increase in blood pressure than their least lonely counterparts. Further analysis indicated that lonely older adults tend to develop hypertension much earlier in life than other older adults. These findings indicate that social isolation and loneliness are important public health problems. Lonely older adults experience greater rates of mental and physical health problems than their peers, and caregivers should look for signs and symptoms of loneliness and address them.

Source: Hawkley, L., Thisted, R., Masi, C., Cacioppo, J. 2010. Loneliness predicts increased blood pressure; 5-year cross-lagged analyses in middle-aged and older adults. Psychology and Aging 25(1): 132-141.