The impact of loneliness on Parkinson’s Disease

Loneliness is considered a psychosocial determinant of health. What is its link with Parkinson’s disease? In this prospective cohort study, researchers examined data from 491,603 British participants, aged 38 to 73, who were not initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Over the 15-year follow-up period, 2,822 individuals developed the disease. Those who reported feeling lonely had a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s, an association that persisted even after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, genetic, environmental, and medical factors.