Managing Anxiety May Reduce Dementia Risk: New Study Insights

Addressing anxiety promptly could be an effective strategy to lower the risk of dementia, according to recent findings. As of 2024, approximately 6.9 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, reports the Alzheimer’s Association, and a cure remains elusive.

Despite the prevalence of anxiety, the impact of its persistence on dementia risk hasn’t been extensively studied. This research aims to explore the long-term relationship between chronic, resolved, and new onset anxiety and the risk of developing dementia.

Chronic anxiety, also known as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, affects individuals for six months or longer. New onset anxiety, or Sudden Onset Anxiety Disorder, occurs when severe anxiety symptoms, both physical and mental, appear suddenly without warning. These symptoms can include an increased heartbeat, loss of appetite, sweating, breathlessness, headaches, and chest pains.

Researchers analyzed data from 2,132 participants, with an average age of 76 years, from the Hunter Community Study—a population-based cohort study designed to examine factors important to health, well-being, and social functioning.

Anxiety levels were measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), which consists of 10 questions about emotional states, each with a five-level response scale. A hazard model was used to assess dementia risk while adjusting for the competing risk of death.