Loneliness, Depression, and Genetics in the Elderly: Prognostic Factors of a Worse Health Condition?

María Luisa Delgado-Losada (), Jaime Bouhaben, Eduardo Arroyo-Pardo, Aránzazu Aparicio and Ana María López-Parra
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María Luisa Delgado-Losada: Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy Department, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
Jaime Bouhaben: Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy Department, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
Eduardo Arroyo-Pardo: Laboratory of Forensic and Population Genetics, Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology Department, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Aránzazu Aparicio: Group of Neurosciences: Psychoneuroendocrinology, Neuroimaging and Molecular Genetics in Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC), Hospital Clínico de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Ana María López-Parra: Laboratory of Forensic and Population Genetics, Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology Department, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-29

Abstract: Loneliness is considered a prognostic factor for poorer health status in the elderly. It is proposed to analyze the role of loneliness in health status in terms of various factors. A total of 1747 individuals from the pilot survey of the Aging in Spain Longitudinal Study (ELES-PS) were reviewed. ELES is a cross-sectional study for collecting health variables, food habits, socioeconomic data, and cognitive and functional capacities, which was carried out on a Spanish representative sample of noninstitutionalized persons of 50 years of age or older. Moreover, since telomere shortening is associated with cellular senescence, 35 telomere-related SNPs and cognitive impairments were analyzed. The results characterize the “solos” as males of 50–60 years, who were overweight and had lower levels of hemoglobin and neutrophils. There is also an association between five SNPs related to telomere length and BDNF. A group of people with loneliness and depression was identified with poorer health and cognitive status, poorer perception of their quality of life, poorer quality of sleep, and lower physical activity. Therefore, it follows that telomeres and BDNF play a role as intermediaries between loneliness and depression and their relationship with a worse state of health.

Keywords: loneliness; depression; health; ELES study; telomeres; SNPs; BDNF; elderly (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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