Anxiety may increase risk of dementia, study finds

CNN
—

People with anxiety disorders have enough to worry about, but a new study adds another to the list, suggesting the disorder is nearly three times more likely to be a problem than anxiety. Risk of Dementia A few years later.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study The severity of anxiety A study published Wednesday found that the risk of dementia increases over time and how the timing of anxiety impacts this risk. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

“Anxiety is increasingly being viewed as a non-traditional risk factor for dementia,” Dr. Kay Cain, a geriatrician-medicine specialist at Hunter New England Health in Newcastle, Australia, and the study's lead author, said in an email.

is more than 55 million people worldwide The number of people living with dementia is expected to rise to 139 million by 2050. Because dementia is also the leading cause of death, researchers and medical professionals are focusing on prevention, including addressing risk factors such as anxiety and lifestyle habits.

Previous studies exploring the link between anxiety and dementia have mainly measured participants' anxiety at a single point in time and have come to mixed conclusions, but the authors argue that how long the anxiety lasts is an important aspect worth considering.

The research team looked at 2,132 participants recruited from the Newcastle-based Hunter Community Study between December 2004 and December 2007. They were aged between 60 and 81 years and provided health data at the start of the study, including whether they smoked, had alcohol or had any diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

There were three assessments (also called waves), each separated by five years. Researchers measured participants' anxiety at the first and second assessments. Chronic anxiety was defined as feeling anxious at both the first and second waves. A person's anxiety was considered resolved if they only felt anxious at the first wave. New-onset anxiety refers to anxiety that was identified only at the second wave.

Dementia was identified using International Classification of Diseases codes or pharmaceutical benefit data indicating purchase of dementia medications provided by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.

Ultimately, 64 participants developed dementia. Chronic and new-onset anxiety increased the risk of all-cause dementia by nearly three times, with the average time to diagnosis being 10 years, the authors found.

Anxiety that resolved within the first five years was barely associated with a greater risk, and the odds were similar to those of people without anxiety. Dr. Glenn R. Finney, a fellow at the American Academy of Neurology, called the finding “a welcome addition to our knowledge of anxiety and dementia.” Dr. Finney, director of the Geisinger Memory and Cognition Program at Pennsylvania State University, was not involved in the study.

This result was driven primarily by participants under the age of 70.

“We've known for some time that stress increases the risk of Alzheimer's,” Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, director of the Mackens Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who was not involved in the study, said in an email. “This study is consistent with previous research that shows that treatments aimed at reducing anxiety can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, but the scale of this study makes it particularly compelling.”

The authors of the latest study did not have information about what helped some participants overcome their anxiety.

The findings highlight “the importance of addressing anxiety early and consistently,” said Dr. Joel Salinas, a neurologist who is founder and chief medical officer of Isaac Health, which provides virtual and in-home clinical services for dementia and other brain-health conditions. Dr. Salinas was not involved in the study.

Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases

The study has some limitations, the authors note, including that participants' anxiety measurements were based on the four weeks before the assessment. The team also lost 33% of participants who had high levels of anxiety at the start of the study. Not knowing what ultimately happened to these people could lead to an underestimate of the impact of anxiety on dementia.

“In the future, it will be useful to follow up these findings in prospective studies using cognitive measures and biological indicators of neurodegeneration, including stress hormones, inflammation and Alzheimer's disease,” said Finney.

Experts say the link between anxiety and dementia may be explained in part by anxiety being linked to vascular disease, which contributes to dementia, and by its damaging effects on cells.

Tanzi, who is also director of genetics and aging research at Massachusetts General Hospital, said stress increases cortisol and inflammation in the brain, both of which kill nerve cells.

Cain also linked anxiety to the accumulation of beta-amyloid. Distinctive signs Of Alzheimer's disease.

The disorder is also linked to structural changes in the brain that are also associated with dementia, including cerebral and hippocampal atrophy, Cain added. Atrophy refers to the weakening of tissues and organs, especially as a result of cellular degeneration.

But the study “also suggests that anxiety may be an early sign of underlying disease in the brain,” Salinas, a clinical assistant professor of neurology at NYU Langone Health, said in an email. “Early cognitive decline could lead to anxiety (e.g., about making mistakes or feeling embarrassed in social situations).”

At the start of the study, the authors excluded people who already had cognitive impairment, but acknowledged that undetected cognitive decline could still occur.

Anxious people are also more likely to make unhealthy choices, such as eating a poor diet or smoking, the authors say.

Anxiety is a normal response to stress, but if it becomes excessive, “seek help,” Cain says.

Consult a doctor or Mental Health Professionals About lifestyle changes and other options Stress management etc.a healthy diet, exercise, and quality of sleep all individually affect the risk of dementia, experts say. Important treatments also include different types of therapy. or antidepressants.

“However, we recommend avoiding certain brain-damaging medications, such as tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and strong antihistamines,” Finney said.

Cognitive behavioral therapy The treatment of choice is Many anxiety disordersThe study works by uncovering “unhealthy thinking patterns and how they may be driving self-destructive behaviors and beliefs,” he said. National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Additionally, “practice meditation and try limiting your expectations of others and yourself when it comes to responding to emails, texts, and social media,” Tanzi says. “I also recommend avoiding people you genuinely dislike and instead interacting with people who have a positive impact on your well-being.”

Tanzi stressed that anxiety is the result of the “oldest and most primitive parts” of our brains being driven solely by survival instincts.

“It's important to always try to be vigilant and aware of when your brain is threatening you with an overemphasis on the need for survival,” he said.