People with Anxiety Face Double Risk of Developing Parkinson's: Study

A new study by UCL researchers has found that the risk of developing Parkinson's is at least twice as high in people with anxiety compared to those without the condition.

The research, published in the British Journal of General Practice, investigated whether there was a link between people over the age of 50 who had recently developed anxiety and a later diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s disease is the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder and currently affects nearly 10 million people across the globe. The condition is a progressive disorder that is caused by the death of nerve cells in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra, which controls movement. These nerve cells die or become impaired, losing the ability to produce an important chemical called dopamine, due to the build-up of a protein called alpha-synuclein.

For the study, the team utilized UK primary care data from 2008 to 2018, assessing 1,09,435 patients who developed anxiety after age 50 and comparing them to 8,78,256 matched controls without anxiety. They tracked the emergence of Parkinson’s features—such as sleep problems, depression, tremor, and balance impairment—from the point of anxiety diagnosis until one year before a Parkinson’s diagnosis. This approach helped them understand the risk of developing Parkinson’s over time and identify associated risk factors.

The researchers adjusted their results for factors including age, sex, social deprivation, lifestyle habits, severe mental illness, head trauma, and dementia, which could influence the likelihood of developing Parkinson’s in individuals with anxiety.

The study revealed that the risk of developing Parkinson’s doubled in people with anxiety compared to the control group. Additionally, they confirmed that symptoms like depression, sleep disturbances, fatigue, cognitive impairment, hypotension, tremor, rigidity, balance impairment, and constipation were significant risk factors for developing Parkinson’s in people with anxiety.

“Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative condition worldwide, and it is estimated that it will affect 14.2 million people by 2040.Anxiety is known to be a feature of the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, but prior to our study, the prospective risk of Parkinson’s in those over the age of 50 with new-onset anxiety was unknown. 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,” said the authors.

Reference: Juan Carlos Bazo-Alvarez, Danielle Nimmons, Kate Walters, Irene Petersen and Anette Schrag; Risk of Parkinson’s disease in people aged ≥50 years with new-onset anxiety: a retrospective cohort study in UK primary care; British Journal of General Practice 24 June 2024; BJGP.2023.0423. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2023.0423