Wang H, et al. – Researchers investigated the impact of loneliness on all-cause mortality over 10 years of follow up in this population-based longitudinal study of individuals ≥ aged 75 years. From the third wave of the Cambridge City over-75s Cohort (CC75C) study, 713 of 2,166 participants at baseline were seen, of whom 665 had data on loneliness. The prevalence of feeling slightly lonely and lonely were 16% and 25%, respectively. During an additional 10 years of follow up, death was reported for a total of 562 participants. Loneliness was noted to be associated with a 20% increased risk of mortality after adjusting for age, sex and other socio-demographic factors. After further adjusting for health conditions and depression, the association disappeared, indicating that in the very old age, health problem is the proximal risk factor for mortality.