Loneliness Linked To Development Of Alzheimer's

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Washington Post

Wednesday, February 7, 2007; Page A02

Elderly people with few or no friends were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as people who reported that they were not lonely, a study shows.

The finding suggests a new risk factor for doctors and caregivers to monitor and underscores the fact that loneliness and isolation can have tangible effects on the aging brain. A number of previous studies have suggested that a rich social and intellectual life has a protective effect against Alzheimer's -- besides the immediate benefit of simply making people happier.

The researchers tracked 823 healthy people from diverse backgrounds in Chicago and asked whether the following statements described them: " I experience a general sense of emptiness. I miss having people around. I feel like I don't have enough friends. I often feel abandoned. I miss having a really good friend. "

Reports of loneliness did not change with time, meaning that the people who reported being lonely tended to stay lonely.

Over a four-year period, 76 people developed dementia. The researchers found that they were likely to be men, to be poorer, to have lower levels of mental activity -- and to have said that the statements describing loneliness applied to them.

The researchers, from the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago and other institutions, said the study was unique in that it measured what people themselves reported about loneliness. The study suggests that people who are not alone but still feel that no one understands them could be at increased risk of dementia.

No one knows why loneliness is associated with an increased risk of dementia, the researchers noted in the study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. " Overall, these data suggest that both the quantity of social interaction and the quality of social attachments affect risk of late-life dementia, " they concluded.

-- Shankar Vedantam