Living Alone Risky After Stroke, Study Reveals

People who live alone are less likely to take medicine, wait longer to see a doctor and live less healthy lives, the research revealed. A study of adults in western Sweden, who had experienced a stroke before the age of 70, found those who live alone are the most likely to die within 12 years, but men have a considerably greater risk of dying prematurely than women or men who live with a partner. 

 

As part of the Sahlgrenska Academy Study on Ischemic Stroke (SAHLSIS), Petra Redfors examined the long-term prognosis for 1,090 victims of ischemic stroke before the age of 70 and compared the results with 600 controls.

According to her findings, 36 percent of patients who were living alone, as opposed to 17 percent of those with partners, died within 12 years after a stroke. Among men, the gap widened to 44 percent when living alone versus 14 percent when living with a partner. “Among the conceivable causes are that people who live alone lead less healthy lives, are less prone to take their medication and tend to wait longer before going to the emergency room,” Dr. Redfors says. 

For more information about the research, visit http://sahlgrenska.gu.se/english/news_and_events/news/News_Detail/men-who-live-alone-run-a-greater-risk-of-dying-prematurely-after-stroke-.cid1251064.