People diagnosed with anxiety at an older age may be twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease compared with people over 50 without the condition, a study suggests.
The disease has returned to the spotlight over the weekend amid an electrifying performance by Hollywood legend Michael J. Fox, who suffers from the disease, on stage at the Glastonbury festival in the United Kingdom.
The Back to the Future star, 63, joined Coldplay for a dazzling performance of their famous song, Fix You, proving his condition hasn’t stopped him from playing gut-wrenching guitar riffs.
Now, an analysis of 100,000 UK adults over the age of 50 has revealed a surprising risk factor for developing the disease, which affects around one million Americans.
Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, pictured above on stage with Coldplay at Glastonbury, UK, this weekend.
The team tracked diagnoses of Parkinson’s, which causes debilitating fears, among other symptoms, in people diagnosed with an anxiety episode over the course of the 10-year study.
They compared the diagnosis rate to that of a group of Parkinson’s patients who had never been diagnosed with the mental health condition.
The team found that the risk of developing the condition within 10 years of an anxiety diagnosis was twice as high for anxious participants.
Some experts said the results presented a “compelling” case for considering anxiety in people over 50 a possible early warning sign of PD.
However, some scientists say it is difficult to determine whether anxiety pre-exists Parkinson’s or is a symptom of Parkinson’s itself.
Parkinson’s disease is growing rapidly in the U.S., with an estimated 1.2 million people in the country suffering from the condition by 2030.
The study’s authors suggested that anxiety could indicate a type of “brain-first” condition, where signs of the disease can be seen on brain scans before it begins to cause obvious symptoms.
Parkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder in the world, and nearly 90,000 Americans are now diagnosed with the disease each year, up 50 percent from the previous estimate of 60,000.
It is a debilitating condition that causes the nerves in the center of the brain that are related to movement to die or degenerate.
Patients may experience a slight tremor in a hand or stiffness in a part of the body at first, but in more advanced stages of the disease, they may have difficulty standing or walking or may suddenly become paralyzed without warning.
There is no cure for the disease, although the progression of its symptoms can be delayed with some medications.
Men are twice as likely as women to be diagnosed with this condition, which tends to appear at the age of 60 or older. However, it can affect people as young as 20: Michael J. Fox was diagnosed when he was 29 years old.
In the study, researchers from University College London (UCL) analyzed data between 2008 and 2018.
Patients who had anxiety were mostly women, were overweight, did not drink alcohol, and were between 50 and 54 years old at the start of the study.
The researchers adjusted for factors such as age, sex, mental illness and dementia in their comparison, but found that those who had anxiety had a twice-higher risk of developing the disease.
They were also more likely to suffer from other symptoms such as depression, sleep disturbances, fatigue, high blood pressure and balance problems.
Some experts said the results made a “compelling” case for anxiety diagnoses starting at age 50 to be considered an early warning sign of PD.
Dr Juan Bazo Ávarez, a UCL epidemiologist who led the study, said: “Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide and is estimated to affect 14.2 million people by 2040.
‘Anxiety is known to be a feature of early Parkinson’s disease, but before our study, the potential risk of Parkinson’s in people over 50 years of age with new-onset anxiety was unknown.’
She added: “By understanding that anxiety and the traits mentioned above are linked to an increased risk of developing the disease over the age of 50, we hope to be able to detect the condition earlier and help patients get the treatment they need.”
Dr. Daniel Truong, a neurologist in California who was not involved in the research, said: Today’s medical news: ‘The study provides compelling evidence linking anxiety with an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in people over the age of 50.
‘The findings suggest that (new-onset) anxiety may be a prodromal symptom, highlighting the importance of early detection and intervention.’
Dr. Clifford Segil, a neurologist also in California, said he would not use anxiety to diagnose patients.
‘Many people worry about how the diagnosis will affect their lives, so it can sometimes cause anxiety. Many people worry because they think Parkinson’s is a death sentence, but it’s not.
‘Anxiety can sometimes be a byproduct of the diagnosis, but it is not its precursor.’
The study was published in the journal British Journal of General Practice.