Association between loneliness and dementia risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

Loneliness has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of dementia; however, the extent of this relationship remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the strength of the relationship between loneliness and dementia using a meta-analysis approach. PubMed, EMBASE, and China Nati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in human neuroscience 2022-12, Vol.16, p.899814-899814
Main Authors: Qiao, Luyao, Wang, Gege, Tang, Zhenyu, Zhou, Siqi, Min, Jun, Yin, Min, Li, Min
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of daily living
Alzheimer's disease
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Cohort analysis
cohort study
Data collection
Dementia
Dementia disorders
Independent study
Loneliness
Meta-analysis
Neurodegenerative diseases
Neuroscience
Older people
Risk assessment
Risk factors
Software reviews
Vascular dementia
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Summary:Loneliness has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of dementia; however, the extent of this relationship remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the strength of the relationship between loneliness and dementia using a meta-analysis approach. PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Internet databases were systematically searched for potentially included studies from inception up to 17 February 2022. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to assess pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A literature search identified 16 cohort studies (published in 15 articles), among which 4,625 dementia cases and 62,345 individuals were selected for further meta-analysis. Loneliness was associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (RR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.32-2.23; < 0.001) and dementia (RR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.16-1.31; < 0.00001). However, no significant association between loneliness and risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 0.97-1.87; = 0.080) or vascular dementia (VaD) (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.51-1.99; = 0.973) was observed. Results revealed that loneliness might increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Early interventions that limit loneliness may reduce risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
ISSN:1662-5161
1662-5161
DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2022.899814