Social isolation and loneliness with risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity: A prospective cohort study from UK Biobank

Zhilin Xiao; Jing Li; Yi Luo; Liu Yang; Guogang Zhang; Xunjie Cheng; Yongping Bai

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.109109

Social isolation and loneliness with risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity: A prospective cohort study from UK Biobank

iScience. 2024 Feb 8;27(4):109109. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109109. eCollection 2024 Apr 19.

Authors

Zhilin Xiao^{1

2}, Jing Li^{1

2

3}, Yi Luo^{1

2}, Liu Yang^{1

2}, Guogang Zhang⁴, Xunjie Cheng^{1

2}, Yongping Bai^{1

2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Geriatric Disease, Center of Coronary Circulation, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
² National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Changsha, China.
³ Department of Cardiology, The Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
⁴ Department of Cardiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
⁵ National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Abstract

The pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 resulted in an increased prevalence of social isolation and loneliness. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to test the association between social isolation/loneliness, multiple cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) and cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM). In the multivariable adjusted models, compared with the least isolated, the most isolated had independently associated with CMD (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.11) and CMM (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.36) in stage I, and CMM in stage II (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.23). Compared with those with the least loneliness, those who with most loneliness had about 20% increased risk of CMD and 29% increased risk of CMM in stage I. Those with the most loneliness were also significantly associated with increased CMM risk (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.42) in stage II. This study revealed the associations of social isolation/loneliness with CMD and CMM.

Keywords: Cardiovascular medicine; Social sciences.