Siri Rosenkilde, Sofie Have Hoffmann, Anne Bonde Thorsted, Trine Allerslev Horsbøl, Katrine Rich Madsen, Sara Fokdal Lehn, Allan Kofoed-Enevoldsen, Peter Bindslev Iversen, Marie Stjerne Grønkjær, Lau Caspar Thygesen
{"title":"Loneliness and the risk of type 2 diabetes","authors":"Siri Rosenkilde, Sofie Have Hoffmann, Anne Bonde Thorsted, Trine Allerslev Horsbøl, Katrine Rich Madsen, Sara Fokdal Lehn, Allan Kofoed-Enevoldsen, Peter Bindslev Iversen, Marie Stjerne Grønkjær, Lau Caspar Thygesen","doi":"10.1136/bmjdrc-2023-003934","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Introduction The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing globally. Recent research suggests that loneliness could be a potential risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to investigate the association between loneliness and type 2 diabetes and the modifying effect of mental disorders. Research design and methods We conducted a prospective study including 465 290 adults (aged ≥16 years) who participated in either the Danish Health and Morbidity Survey or the Danish National Health Survey between 2000 and 2017. Loneliness was based on self-report, while type 2 diabetes was measured using an algorithm combining several health registers including type 2 diabetes patients treated both within the hospital sector and general practice. Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results During a mean follow-up time of 6.3 years, 13 771 individuals (3%) developed type 2 diabetes. Feeling lonely once in a while was associated with a 14% increased risk of type 2 diabetes (95% CI 1.09 to 1.20), while feeling lonely often was associated with a 24% increased risk (95% CI 1.14 to 1.34), independent of sociodemographic factors and body mass index. The association was stronger among individuals without a mental disorder (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.34 among those feeling lonely often) compared with those with a mental disorder (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.23). Conclusions Loneliness independently increased the risk of type 2 diabetes. The effect was more pronounced in individuals without a mental disorder, as having a mental disorder itself likely increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing loneliness as a modifiable risk factor in preventing type 2 diabetes. Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available.","PeriodicalId":9151,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2023-003934","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing globally. Recent research suggests that loneliness could be a potential risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to investigate the association between loneliness and type 2 diabetes and the modifying effect of mental disorders. Research design and methods We conducted a prospective study including 465 290 adults (aged ≥16 years) who participated in either the Danish Health and Morbidity Survey or the Danish National Health Survey between 2000 and 2017. Loneliness was based on self-report, while type 2 diabetes was measured using an algorithm combining several health registers including type 2 diabetes patients treated both within the hospital sector and general practice. Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results During a mean follow-up time of 6.3 years, 13 771 individuals (3%) developed type 2 diabetes. Feeling lonely once in a while was associated with a 14% increased risk of type 2 diabetes (95% CI 1.09 to 1.20), while feeling lonely often was associated with a 24% increased risk (95% CI 1.14 to 1.34), independent of sociodemographic factors and body mass index. The association was stronger among individuals without a mental disorder (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.34 among those feeling lonely often) compared with those with a mental disorder (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.23). Conclusions Loneliness independently increased the risk of type 2 diabetes. The effect was more pronounced in individuals without a mental disorder, as having a mental disorder itself likely increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing loneliness as a modifiable risk factor in preventing type 2 diabetes. Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available.
期刊介绍:
BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care is an open access journal committed to publishing high-quality, basic and clinical research articles regarding type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and associated complications. Only original content will be accepted, and submissions are subject to rigorous peer review to ensure the publication of
high-quality — and evidence-based — original research articles.