Loneliness linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease, study suggests

Loneliness could increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease within 15 years, according to a long-term study.

Feelings of loneliness can result in a person feeling more emotionally sensitive as well as being alert to and focused on negative thoughts. This often occurs when a person has a lack of or feels a lack of meaning in social relationships, or has limited or no sense of belonging in a social environment.

The research analysed a population-based sample of UK participants aged between 38 and 73 years old with loneliness data but without a Parkinson's disease diagnoses. The participants were first assessed between March 13, 2006, and October 1, 2010, and followed up to October 9, 2021. A total of 54.4 percent of the people involved were female, with 45.6 percent male.

Out of the 491,603 participants, a total of 2,822 developed Parkinson's disease during the 15-year follow-up - 2,273 who did not report loneliness and 549 who did - with the results suggesting that those who reported being lonely are at more risk of developing the health condition.Loneliness was not associated with a heightened risk of Parkinson's during the first five years of the research, but was linked with the disease during the subsequent 10 years, the study found.

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