Anxiety Linked with Higher Stroke Risk

New research links increased anxiety levels to higher risk of stroke.

Being stressed in a negative situation is natural. However, some people react strongly to even minor disturbances, which could affect their health in the long run. Anxiety disorders affect 14 percent or 40 million of all American adults aged 18 years or older. There are various kinds of anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder.

Previous research has shown that certain brain regions - amygdala and the hippocampus- are involved in anxiety disorders.

Data for the present study came from 6,019 people enrolled in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I). Participants were between 25-74 years and had undergone an interview, several blood tests, taken psychological tests and had completed questionnaires that assessed their depression and anxiety levels. The data was obtained during a 22-year study period.

Researchers found that participants with higher anxiety levels had 33 percent higher stroke risk than people who fell into lower anxiety levels.

People who suffer from anxiety are more likely to take up smoking and have lower levels of physical activity, which probably contributes to the higher stroke risk. Also, higher stress hormones and blood pressure could increase health risk.

"Everyone has some anxiety now and then. But when it's elevated and/or chronic, it may have an effect on your vasculature years down the road," said Maya Lambiase, Ph.D., study author and cardiovascular behavioral medicine researcher in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in Pittsburgh, Penn, according to a news release.

The study was conducted by University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University researchers and is published in the journal Stroke.