New research indicates that individuals with anxiety have at least double the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) compared to those without anxiety. The study analyzed 10-year data from a primary care registry, comparing nearly 110,000 patients who developed anxiety after age 50 to almost 900,000 controls without anxiety. After adjusting for various factors, the study found the risk of developing PD was twice as high in those with anxiety. Researchers tracked PD-related symptoms from the anxiety diagnosis until one year before the PD diagnosis.
They found that 331 patients with anxiety developed PD, with a median diagnosis time of 4.9 years after the first anxiety episode. The incidence of PD was significantly higher in the anxiety group compared to controls. The study suggests that anxiety can be a prodromal symptom of PD, indicating a potential for earlier diagnosis and better management of the disease.