Developing Anxiety After Age 50 Linked to Parkinson’s Disease

Researchers have found that being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder later in life could double the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a nervous system disorder that begins with mild symptoms like tremors and progresses to affect movement, speech, and balance. While there is no cure, medications can help manage the symptoms. A recent study by researchers in London focused on people newly diagnosed with anxiety at age 50 or older. The study did not consider anxiety diagnoses made earlier in life. On average, Parkinson’s was diagnosed within five years of an anxiety diagnosis. The findings were published in the British Journal of General Practice. The study analyzed health records from primary care clinics in the UK between 2008 and 2018, including data from over 870,000 people without anxiety and nearly 110,000 people newly diagnosed with anxiety. Anxiety disorders examined included generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, and separation anxiety. Older individuals diagnosed with anxiety often also report memory and thinking issues. Even after adjusting for factors like age, lifestyle, and other mental illnesses, the increased risk of Parkinson’s persisted. The study also found that established risk factors for Parkinson’s, such as being male, having depression, fatigue, cognitive problems, low blood pressure, tremors, rigidity, balance issues, constipation, and sleep disorders, aligned with the new findings. Researcher Juan Bazo Alvarez, PhD, of University College London, stated that understanding the link between anxiety and Parkinson’s could help in earlier detection and treatment. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, about 1 million people in the U.S. live with Parkinson’s, with 90,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Most cases occur in people over 50, though 4% are diagnosed under this age, and men are 1.5 times more likely than women to be diagnosed.