Key result
Loneliness and social isolation linked to increased mortality, recurrent events, and hospitalizations in CVD patients.
Why the study?
Loneliness and social isolation are important yet neglected social determinants that have been linked to worsening outcomes in individuals living with cardiovascular disease.
Does loneliness and social isolation worsen outcomes in adults living with cardiovascular disease?
Systematic Review (n=63,978)
Yes
Does loneliness and social isolation worsen outcomes in adults living with cardiovascular disease?
Loneliness and social isolation are associated with increased mortality, recurrent events, and hospitalizations in patients with cardiovascular disease, highlighting the need for social interventions.
Loneliness screening may refine CVD risk stratification; leaves open whether interventions improve outcomes.
Social isolation and loneliness seriously impact the physical and mental quality of health and longevity. Social isolation and loneliness are important yet neglected social determinants for people of all ages. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are among the leading causes of death globally, and loneliness has been linked to worsening outcomes of CVD. This review aims to evaluate the impact of loneliness/social/self-isolation among adults living with any cardiovascular disease. A systematic search was done from inception to 23rd January 2025 on PubMed and Google Scholar, and 4,198 articles were synthesized; these articles were screened for duplication, and the duplicate articles were removed. A total of 3,606 articles underwent title and abstract screening, and 3,505 articles were removed following the predefined eligibility criteria. One hundred and one articles underwent full-text screening, and only 13 articles were included for qualitative analysis. We included adults aged 18 and above living alone/socially isolated with any cardiovascular disease. This systematic review analyzed 13 studies across eight countries, encompassing 63,978 participants, of whom 12,110 were identified as living alone or socially isolated, 7,264 male and 3,745 female participants; one study included only male participants, while two studies didn't mention the number of male and female participants. The findings provide compelling evidence that loneliness is associated with adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, including increased mortality, recurrent cardiovascular events, and higher hospitalization rates. Addressing loneliness and social isolation should be a priority in cardiovascular disease prevention and management. Integrating social interventions could significantly improve the prognosis of individuals living with CVD, ultimately reducing morbidity and mortality rates in this vulnerable population.
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Okeke et al. (2025) conducted a systematic review in Cardiovascular disease (n=63,978). Loneliness and social/self-isolation vs. Not living alone/socially isolated was evaluated on Adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes (mortality, recurrent cardiovascular events, and hospitalization rates). Among 63,978 participants with cardiovascular disease, loneliness and social isolation were associated with increased mortality, recurrent cardiovascular events, and higher hospitalization rates.
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