Inflammation in men is strongly linked to living alone for several years and/or experiencing serial relationship break-ups, researchers report today.
A study, published in the *Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health* today, found that although inflammation was classed as low grade, it was persistent and is likely to indicate a heightened risk of age-related ill health and death.
A Danish team assessed information submitted by 4,835 participants to the Copenhagen Ageing and Midlife Biobank (CAMB) study. All were aged between 48 and 62 years.
Included on serial partnership break-ups, which included 83 deaths of the partner, was supplied by 3,170 men and 1,442 women, while details on the number of years lived alone was given by 3,336 men and 1,499 women for the 25-year period of 1986 to 2011. Years lived alone were categorised as: under one year; two-six years; and seven or more years.
About half of the participants reported a partnership break-up, and 54% of women, 49% of men said they had lived more than a year alone.
Approximately one in five had ten or fewer years of education, and about six out of ten had one or more long-term conditions. About half had experienced early major life events, and half of the women and almost two thirds of the men were overweight or obese.
The inflammatory markers interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in blood samples and the team found that in men, there were 17% higher levels of inflammatory markers in those who had experienced the most partnership break-ups.
Levels of inflammatory markers were up to 12% higher in the men who had spent at least seven years living alone.
The highest levels of both inflammatory markers for years lived alone were observed among men with high educational attainment and two-six years living alone (CRP), and seven or more years spent alone (IL-6).
However, none of these associations were found among the women who participated in the research.
The researchers said that men tend to externalise their behaviour after a break-up, by drinking, for example, while women tend to internalise and this results in depressive symptoms, which may influence inflammatory levels differently.
“Small numbers of break ups or years lived alone is not in itself a risk of poor health, but the combination of (many) years lived alone and several break-ups is in our study shown to affect both CRP and IL-6 levels significantly,” they write.
They say although the levels of inflammation in the study are low, they are also significant, clinically relevant, and most likely a risk factor for increased mortality.
Davidsen K, Carstensen S, Kriegbaum M et al. Do partnership dissolutions and living alone affect systemic chronic inflammation? A cohort study of Danish adults. *Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health* 11 January 2022. DOI: 10.1136/jech-2021-217422
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