United States: A new study has discovered that feeling anxious might be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease. People who feel a lot of anxiety have two times the chance of getting Parkinson’s compared to those who don’t feel it that way. Researchers also found that certain signs of Parkinson’s can show up in people who have anxiety.
Research Insights
Co-lead researcher Dr. Juan Bazo Avarez, a senior research fellow with University College London Epidemiology & Health, said, “By understanding that anxiety and the mentioned [symptoms] 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.”
Understanding Parkinson’s
According to the National Institute on Aging, Parkinson’s disease results in issues with balance and coordination, stiffness, and shaking during movement.
The illness is brought on by the degeneration of brain nerve cells that generate dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial to motor function.
According to experts, Parkinson’s is the neurological disease with the quickest rate of growth in the globe. Approximately 10 million individuals worldwide are now impacted by it.
Study Details
Researchers examined approximately 110,000 British health records of individuals who experienced anxiety after turning 50 between 2008 and 2018 in order to conduct this new study. Their health information was contrasted with that of almost 878,000 anxiety-free individuals.
Researchers especially searched for signs of Parkinson’s disease, such as balance difficulties, tremors, sadness, and difficulty sleeping, that appeared in between diagnoses of anxiety and Parkinson’s disease.
They observed that those with anxiety had a twofold higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease.
Additionally, they discovered that among individuals with anxiety, symptoms such as sadness, sleep disturbances, exhaustion, low blood pressure, tremors, stiffness, problems with balance, and constipation were early indicators of Parkinson’s disease.
Future Research
Professor of clinical neurosciences at the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology and co-lead researcher Anette Schrag remarked, “Anxiety is not as well researched as other early indicators of Parkinson’s disease.”
According to a UCL news release, Schrag continued, “Further research should explore how the early occurrence of anxiety relates to other early symptoms and to the underlying progression of Parkinson’s in its early stages.”
Researchers said they also need to figure out why anxiety might be linked to Parkinson’s, and this study was published in June 24 in the British Journal of General Practice.