Correspondence

and formulate relevant decisions. mortality. Imagine too that in Loneliness is a public health problem
Science and politics are not familiar industrialised countries around a third that can be largely solved in our
with joining forces and working of people are affected by this condition, lifetime but doing so will require the
together, especially in such high-level with one person in 12 affected full engagement and support of the
meetings. The Italian G7 Presidency’s severely, and that these proportions medical community. The physical
final communiquè1 shows how this are increasing. Income, education, sex, health and mental health of a grow­
collaboration could become possible and ethnicity are not protective, and ing number of afflicted individuals
for future meetings too, and how the condition is contagious. The effects and their families and friends are
a common vision could help to of the condition are not attributable to at stake.
sustain and implement appropriate, some peculiarity of the character of a We declare no competing interests.
documented, and relevant actions subset of individuals, they are a result of
*John T Cacioppo, Stephanie Cacioppo
and bring measurable results in an the condition affecting ordinary people. [email protected]
otherwise purely political framework. Such a condition exists—loneliness.1–3
Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Pritzker
The Italian Ministry of Health partially funded the Loneliness is often stigmatised, School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago,
Delphi surverys. SC reports grants from the Italian trivialised, or ignored, but—with the IL 60637, USA
Ministry of Health during the conduct of this study.
RG declares no competing interests.
rapidly growing number of older 1 Cacioppo JT, Cacioppo S, Capitanio JP, Cole SW.
adults in industrialised countries, the The neuroendocrinology of social isolation.
*Stefano Campostrini, Ranieri Guerra increased likelihood of premature
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[email protected] mortality, and the deleterious effects of hazardous to your health. Science 2011;
Department of Economics, Ca’ Foscari University loneliness that have been identified in 331: 138–40.
of Venice, 30121 Venice, Italy (SC); and Former 3 Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB. Loneliness and social
Director General of Prevention and Chief Medical
animal models and human longitudinal isolation as risk factors for CVD: implications for
Officer, Italian Ministry of Health, Rome, Italy (RG) investigations—loneliness is emerging evidence-based patient care and scientific
inquiry. Heart 2016; 102: 987–89.
1 G7 Health Ministers Meeting. G7 Milan Health as a public health problem.4 Physicians
4 Murthy V. Work and the loneliness epidemic.
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3 Health Effects Institute. State of global air
2017. A special report on global exposure to air
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Health Effects Institute, 2017. characterisations are incorrect, and Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112: 15142–47.
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not attributable to some peculiarity Influenza vaccination
of individuals who are lonely, instead
6 Watts N, Amann M, Ayeb-Karlsson S, et al.
The Lancet Countdown on health and climate they are due to the effects of loneliness
and prevention of
change: from 25 years of inaction to a global
transformation for public health. Lancet 2017; on ordinary people.1,5,6 Quick and valid cardiovascular disease
published online Oct 30. DOI:10.1016/S0140-
6736(17)32464-9.
measures exist that can diagnose if mortality
a patient has abnormally high levels
of loneliness,7 and although so-called Catharine Paules and Kanta Subbarao
common sense treatments (eg, social presented in their Seminar (Aug 12,
The growing problem of skills training, and provisions for social 2017, p 697) the clinical features,
support and social contact) have therapeutic options, and controversies
loneliness proven ineffective,8 the availability of regarding treatment and prevention of
Imagine a condition that makes a community programmes, behavioural seasonal influenza infection.1 Although
person irritable, depressed, and self- interventions, and online resources they acknowledged that influenza can
centred, and is associated with a is increasing to address the problem impair different organ systems, little
26% increase in the risk of premature of loneliness. attention was given to cardiovascular

426 www.thelancet.com Vol 391 February 3, 2018