U.K.: Living Alone Is Bad For Your Health

EDINBURGH (The Scotsman), July 12, 2006: LIVING by yourself doubles the risk of suffering serious heart disease, new research has shown. A study of 138,000 adults aged 30 to 69 found that the two strongest predictors of heart disease were age and living alone. Growing numbers of households in the UK have just one person, prompting fears about increasing ill health associated with living alone. The latest study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, focused on the incidence of acute coronary syndrome - a spectrum of conditions including angina, heart attack or sudden cardiac death. Between 2000 and 2002, 646 people were diagnosed with one of these conditions. The Danish researchers, led by Dr Kirsten Nielsen of University Hospital, Aarhus, examined risk factors including poor educational attainment and low income to see whether these had any influence. But they found that the two strongest predictive factors for serious heart problems were age and living alone. Women aged over 60 and living by themselves, and men over 50 in the same position, were twice as likely to suffer angina, a heart attack or other serious heart-related condition than the rest of the population. The researchers noted that lone women over 60 made up just over 5 per cent of the whole population, yet they accounted for a third of all deaths from serious heart problems within 30 days of diagnosis. Lone men over 50 were just 8 per cent of the population, yet accounted for two-thirds of such deaths. Those with the lowest risks were people living with a partner, with a high level of education and in work. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that, last year, around 29 per cent of households in the UK were made up of people living alone, up from 18 per cent in 1971. In the 1980s and 1990s, one-person households mainly comprised older women. But there is now an increasing tendency for younger people to live alone, with the largest increases among both sexes aged 25 to 44, and of men from 45 to 64. The researchers said that certain risk factors tended to be more common in the lifestyles of those living alone, which might explain the increased risk of heart problems, including higher levels of smoking, obesity and high cholesterol and fewer visits to the doctor. Jan Buncle, of the charity Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, said it was a significant study. She said: "It is important to learn lessons from this as Scotland has one of the highest rates of heart disease in the world. "More than 500,000 people in Scotland have some form of heart disease and, although death rates are falling, we still have a one in ten chance of having coronary heart disease." But Ellen Mason, from the British Heart Foundation, said it was important to note that living alone of itself was not a risk factor for heart disease: "This study shows that lifestyle habits linked to living alone, such as smoking and eating unhealthy food, are more of a problem. "The weakness of their interpretation is that many people who choose to live alone have strong social support and healthy lifestyles, all of which help keep their heart healthy." By Lyndsay Moss Health Correspondent © 2006 Scotsman.com