Loneliness Linked to Degenerative Valvular Heart Disease

FRIDAY, April 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Loneliness is associated with an increased risk for degenerative valvular heart disease (VHD), according to a study published online April 15 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.Chenghui Cao, M.D., from The Second Xiangya Hospital in Changsha, China, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study involving 462,917 participants from the U.K. Biobank, free of VHDs at baseline, to examine the role of loneliness and social isolation in the context of valvular pathology.A total of 11,003 cases of degenerative VHD were documented during a median follow-up of 13.9 years, including 4,280 cases of aortic valve stenosis and 4,693 cases of mitral valve regurgitation. The researchers found that the highest loneliness level was associated with significantly increased risks for degenerative VHD, aortic valve stenosis, and mitral valve regurgitation in fully adjusted models using no loneliness as a reference (hazard ratios, 1.19, 1.21, and 1.23, respectively). For degenerative VHD-related events, this association was consistently observed. No significant associations were seen for social isolation. An increased risk for degenerative VHD was seen in association with loneliness, regardless of genetic background; however, individuals with both high genetic risk and elevated loneliness had the highest risk. In the association between loneliness and incident degenerative VHD, unhealthy lifestyles were identified as a significant mediator."Our results suggest that addressing loneliness could help delay disease progression, postpone surgical interventions such as valve replacement, and ultimately reduce the long-term clinical and economic burden of valvular heart disease," coauthor Cheng Wei, M.D., also from The Second Xiangya Hospital, said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Loneliness Linked to Degenerative Valvular Heart Disease

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