At the time of the coronavirus, we are all forced to isolate ourselves socially to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19 disease.
Social isolation can have negative effects on the human psyche, which many people are probably already familiar with.
University College London’s latest research found that social isolation in older adults is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for respiratory problems.
The results of the study were published in the English language journal “BMJ: Thorax”.
The risks associated with social isolation are increasing due to the threat posed by COVID-19.
A recent study found that social isolation is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for older adults due to respiratory problems.
Does isolation lead to respiratory diseases?
How does social isolation affect respiratory diseases?
It has now been found that older people may be at increased risk of hospitalization for respiratory problems due to social isolation.
This risk is independent of other potentially influential factors, such as general health and lifestyle.
Hospital admissions for respiratory diseases generally play an important role in crises due to lack of beds in winter and overcrowding in the emergency room.
In the period of COVID-19, these hospital admissions could be particularly problematic and put older people at additional risk.
Isolation affects our psyche
Hospitalization for respiratory problems has increased three times faster in the UK in recent years than hospitalization for any other reason.
Such admissions disproportionately affect the socially disadvantaged in society, including older adults, the researchers report.
Social isolation and loneliness are associated with hospitalizations in various health conditions, but it has not been clear until now whether socially isolated adults with respiratory diseases could also be at risk.
To investigate this risk more closely, the researchers analyzed hospital records and death statistics from 4.
478 people who participated in the English Longitudinal Study on Aging (ELSA), a nationally representative long-term study of older adults.
The health status of the participants was medically monitored until January 2018 or until death.
The average monitoring period was 9.5 years.
Around one in ten (11 percent) of the participants were hospitalized for respiratory problems.
Information about potentially influential factors was also collected.
These included, for example, gender, ethnicity, education, household income, basic health conditions, including undiagnosed COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), lifestyle, smoking and physical activity.
Social isolation was measured in the study of whether a person lived alone or not (domestic isolation), how much social contact they had with friends and family (social isolation), and how much social engagement they had, including volunteering, cultural activities and engagement in community groups.
The loneliness was then rated on a validated (UCLA) scale.
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