Loneliness in the aetiology of somatic illnesses

Czech version

Authors: R. Ptáček ¹; H. Kuželová ^1,2; M. Vráblík ³
Authors‘ workplace: 1. lékařská fakulta a Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice v Praze ; Psychiatrická klinika Přednosta: prof. MUDr. Jiří Raboch, DrSc. ¹; Ústav lékařské biologie a genetiky 2. LF UK Přednosta: prof. MUDr. Milan Macek, DrSc. ²; 3. interní klinika 1. LF UK a VFN Přednosta: prof. MUDr. Štěpán Svačina, DrSc., MBA ³
Published in: Prakt. Lék. 2011; 91(6): 325-327
Category: Reviews

Overview

Loneliness is not only a psychological and social problem that affects an indiviual´s psyche, it is also a medical problem. Loneliness is a state similar to long-term stress, where the organism is exhausted. People who are lonely have sleep problems and report worse quality of rest, and it is thought they have an increased incidence of a number of somatic diseases. Many of the diseases result from decreased immunity, but the major problem in lonely people is a high incidence of cardiovascular diseases.

Key words:
loneliness, social isolation, somatic illnesses, cardiovascular disorders.

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