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What Causes What
OBSERVED+ INCREASES

Social isolation → Dementia

Higher social isolation increases dementia.

In a large UK Biobank cohort, social isolation was linked to a 1.26-fold increased risk of dementia.

Cohort · Moderate

The two move together in observational data. Nobody has yet tested whether one causes the other.

Mechanism

The papers do not settle a pathway. They report the link between isolation and later dementia without testing how one leads to the other.

Caveats

Results are not uniform. A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies found the pooled effect of isolation was not significant (RR = 1.58, 95% CI = 0.80-3.12). A review that combined loneliness and social isolation put the added risk at about 49 to 60%. People in the early stage of dementia may withdraw socially, so the stamp does not claim that isolation causes dementia.

Effect

Hazard ratio 1.26 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.37). Social isolation was linked to a 1.26-fold increased risk of dementia (95% CI, 1.15-1.37).

Nodes

RelationshipsSocial isolationBodyDementia

Cite this page

What Causes What. “Social isolation → Dementia.” https://whatcauseswhat.org/edges/e-social-isolation-dementia (atlas updated 2026-10-17).

https://whatcauseswhat.org/edges/e-social-isolation-dementia

Papers