As of 2020, over 55 million people around the world were living with dementia. This number is projected to increase to 78 million in 2030 and 139 million by 2050. The increasing social and economic burden of dementia has led to a growing focus on modifiable risk factors to prevent the condition. Anxiety is one such risk factor.
For the current study, researchers analyzed data from 2,132 participants with an average age of 76 years from the Hunter Community Study. Data included measurements of anxiety and dementia risk. Particpants were followed for an average of 10 years.
Ultimately, chronic anxiety and new onset anxiety were linked to a 2.8 and 3.2 times higher risk of dementia, respectively. Risk was higher among those whose anxiety began before age 70. The researchers noted, however, that those whose anxiety had resolved did not have a higher dementia risk than people without current or past anxiety.
The researchers wrote that people with anxiety are more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle habits such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, a strong risk factor for dementia. They added that studies also indicate that anxiety is linked to dementia pathology via pathways like neuronal inflammation, cellular apoptosis, and beta-amyloid formation and deposition.
“While this sort of question cannot be subject to a randomized controlled trial, this prospective cohort study used causal inference methods to explore the role of anxiety in promoting the development of dementia,” said corresponding author Kay Khaing, MMed, of the University of Newcastle, Australia, in a press release.
“The findings suggest that anxiety may be a new risk factor to target in the prevention of dementia and also indicate that treating anxiety may reduce this risk,” she added.
Sources: Neuroscience News, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
