People who suffer from anxiety could face a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD), with factors like depression, disturbed sleep, and fatigue contributing to the risk, according to a recent study. Researchers analyzed data from 109,435 patients with anxiety and compared them with 878,256 individuals who were not diagnosed with anxiety. “The risk of developing PD was at least doubled in people with anxiety compared with those without,” the paper said.
This discrepancy in risk remained even after adjusting for multiple factors including age, severe mental illness, dementia, head trauma, and social deprivation. The median time to diagnose Parkinson’s after the first recorded anxiety episode was 4.9 years.
People without anxiety were found to have survived for a longer period without developing a Parkinson’s event, the study said. Researchers identified the following symptoms as risk factors that could lead to Parkinson’s in individuals with anxiety issues—depression, sleep disturbances, fatigue, cognitive impairment, hypotension, tremor, rigidity, balance impairment, and constipation. “Anxiety is known to be a feature of the early stages of Parkinson’s disease,” he said.
“By understanding that anxiety and the mentioned features are linked to a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease over the age of 50, we hope that we may be able to detect the condition earlier and help patients get the treatment they need.” The study was funded by th.