Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
Department of Medicine, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
Eur J Clin Invest. 2023 Oct;53(10):e14032. doi: 10.1111/eci.14032. Epub 2023 May 23.
Social isolation and loneliness are two common but undervalued conditions associated with a poor quality of life, decreased overall health and mortality. In this review, we aim to discuss the health consequences of social isolation and loneliness. We first provide the potential causes of these two conditions. Then, we explain the pathophysiological processes underlying the effects of social isolation and loneliness in disease states. Afterwards, we explain the important associations between these conditions and different non-communicable diseases, as well as the impact of social isolation and loneliness on health-related behaviours. Finally, we discuss the current and novel potential management strategies for these conditions. Healthcare professionals who attend to socially isolated and/or lonely patients should be fully competent in these conditions and assess their patients thoroughly to detect and properly understand the effects of isolation and loneliness. Patients should be offered education and treatment alternatives through shared decision-making. Future studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms better and to improve the treatment strategies for both social isolation and loneliness.
社会隔离和孤独是两种常见但被低估的状况，它们与生活质量下降、整体健康状况恶化和死亡率升高有关。在这篇综述中，我们旨在讨论社会隔离和孤独对健康的影响。我们首先提供了这两种情况的潜在原因。然后，我们解释了社会隔离和孤独对疾病状态影响的病理生理过程。接下来，我们解释了这些情况与不同非传染性疾病之间的重要关联，以及社会隔离和孤独对与健康相关行为的影响。最后，我们讨论了这些情况的当前和新的潜在管理策略。关注社会隔离和/或孤独患者的医疗保健专业人员应该完全了解这些情况，并全面评估他们的患者，以发现并正确理解隔离和孤独的影响。应通过共同决策为患者提供教育和治疗选择。需要进一步研究以更好地了解潜在机制，并改善对社会隔离和孤独的治疗策略。
