Loneliness and social isolation may increase the risk of high blood pressure in women
British Columbia … News Time
A study of more than 28,000 adults in Canada found that the risk of developing high blood pressure from loneliness and social isolation was much higher in women than in men. It should be noted that high blood pressure means that the blood pressure inside the veins is much higher than normal which can lead to various heart diseases and sudden death including stroke and heart attack. The study, led by Zainab Hussain at the University of British Columbia, analyzed data collected during an extensive public health survey. The study collected data from 28,238 people aged 45 to 85, with equal numbers of men and women. Analysis of the data revealed that unmarried, divorced or in any other case single women with less than 85 years of social contact, and those who attended events or meetings two or less times a month had a higher risk of high blood pressure than women who were more intimate, married, and more involved in various events. Along with social isolation and loneliness, the risk of high blood pressure was also clearly increased. The risk of death due to social segregation among women was almost as high as that of smoking. The opposite was true for men: married and more socially connected men were more likely to have high blood pressure than lonely men. Earlier, another study found that single and less socially connected women were more likely to be obese than socially active women. The latest study is the latest in a series published online in the latest issue of the research journal Hypertension.
