A new study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine has unveiled that loneliness or even a feeling of the same can be a possible factor for a person’s premature death.

A team of researchers at the Harvard Medical School in Boston had conducted a review, which has hinted the same. Total 45,000 people of ages 45 years and above were recruited for the study, who were sufferers or at a risk of suffering a heart disease.

It was then found that however all participants who lived alone were likely to develop a heart disease at some stage of their life. But, those in their mid-ages were at the highest risk. Also, early deaths were also more likely to be seen in those living alone.

“Feelings of being lonely could cause an inflammatory state. At the social end, those who feel lonely may be less likely to engage with the healthcare community or the community at large, and therefore have less self-care”, says Perissinotto, an Assistant Professor of geriatrics.

The report finds that isolation not only reduces quantity, but quality of life as well. It is being said that while evidence for the findings is not yet found, doctors must ask patients of heart about their living conditions.