Anxiety ‘can increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Anxiety can accelerate conversion to Alzheimer's disease for those with mild cognitive impairment, according to new research.

A study from Baycrest Health Sciences' Rotman Research Institute has shown clearly for the first time that anxiety symptoms in individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment can increase the risk of a speedier decline in cognitive functions.

For cognitively impaired patients with mild, moderate or severe anxiety, Alzheimer's risk increased by 33 percent, 78 percent and 135 percent respectively, a trend that was shown to be independent of the patients' depression status.

Those who reported anxiety symptoms at any time over the follow-up period were also shown to experience greater rates of atrophy in the medial temporal lobe regions of the brain, which are essential for creating memories and are implicated in Alzheimer's.

Dr Linda Mah, principal investigator on the study and assistant professor at the University of Toronto's department of psychiatry, said: "Our findings suggest that clinicians should routinely screen for anxiety in people who have memory problems because anxiety signals that these people are at greater risk for developing Alzheimer's."

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting almost 500,000 people in the UK. This number is expected to grow as the population ages.