Sydney, April 7 (IANS) A study published on Monday revealed for the first time a causal link between chronic loneliness and early death among middle-aged Australian women.

Researchers analysed two decades of data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health, involving over 57,000 participants.

The findings after examining data from women aged between 48 and 55 show that women who consistently reported feeling lonely over a 15-year period were three times more likely to die early compared to those who did not report loneliness.

Women without persistent loneliness had a 5 per cent risk of death, while that risk rose to 15 per cent among those with ongoing feelings of loneliness, according to the researchers of the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, and Western Sydney University, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Loneliness is a risk factor that should be screened for by clinicians, just as we would screen for high blood pressure or cholesterol. We also need to raise the public awareness of loneliness to demystify and destigmatize loneliness," said the study's lead author, Neta HaGani.

Prof. Melody Ding from the University of Sydney, the study's senior author, said women in middle age are more likely to be the primary caregivers for both young children and elderly parents, as well as going through major life transitions such as menopause, retirement or children leaving home, factors that can contribute to social isolation.

The study, published in BMJ Medicine, also found a dose-dependent relationship -- the more frequently loneliness was reported, the higher the risk of early death.

While comparable long-term data on men's health is lacking, Ding said midlife is a period of transition that may affect women more adversely.