isolation is a hypertension risk —especially for women

social isolation is truly hard on the heart, especially if you’re a woman who is middle-aged or older, according to a new study from the university of british columbia.

published in the journal of hypertension in october, researchers found that women with few social ties were much more likely to have hypertension , or high blood pressure, which can lead to a host of health issues such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and eye problems.

“among older adults, social isolation is the largest known risk factor for mortality, equal only to smoking,” said principal investigator  annalijn conklin.  “less well known is how social isolation affects men and women differently, or how it affects biomarkers of longevity. our research indicates that women, in particular, are more likely to be hypertensive when they experience isolation in middle and older age.”

the study concluded that “healthcare professionals may need to consider these social factors in addressing risk for hypertension and cardiovascular disease prevention.”

according to a recent report from statistics canada, about 1 in 4 adults between the ages of 20 to 79 had hypertenstion during the period of 2012 to 2015. hypertension rates climbed with age, with 71 per cent of men and 69 per cent of women in the 70 to 79 demographic having high blood pressure.

to learn more about heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, check out these resources from the heart and stroke foundation.