Millions of Americans suffer from anxiety, which is highly treatable. But more concerning, a new study suggests that people who suffer from anxiety when they are young are at a higher risk of developing dementia when they get older.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. It is believed to be the first study to explore any link between anxiety and dementia.
The research team assembled a group of more than 2,000 participants between the ages of 60 to 81, noting their use of tobacco or alcohol and whether they had other health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
The study was broken into three assessments, or “waves,” that were at five-year intervals. In the first and second assessments, researchers determined anxiety levels for each participant.
By the end of the study, 64 participants had developed dementia. Chronic anxiety was associated with three times the risk of dementia from any cause. But anxiety that had been resolved by medication or other treatment was associated with little risk – about the same as subjects who had no anxiety.
New blood test
Meanwhile, a newly developed blood test may predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease with up to 90% accuracy. In comparison, clinicians are able to accurately predict Alzheimer’s 73% of the time.
The test measures tau protein 217, which researchers say can indicate amyloid pathology. Some scientists say higher concentrations of the protein in the blood are common in the onset of dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Association says dementia is often underdiagnosed — and if it is diagnosed by a clinician, many people nonetheless are unaware or uninformed of their diagnosis. The association says that blood tests for Alzheimer’s are demonstrating in research that they could significantly improve a clinician’s accuracy and confidence and provide greater accessibility and a platform for enhanced communication.
“Blood tests, once they are confirmed in large populations to be more than 90% accurate and become more widely available, show promise for improving, and possibly redefining, the clinical trial recruitment process and the diagnostic work-up for Alzheimer’s,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association chief science officer and medical affairs lead.
“While at this time doctors in primary and secondary care should use a combination of cognitive and blood or other biomarker testing to diagnose Alzheimer's, blood tests have the potential to increase the accuracy of early diagnoses and maximize the opportunity to access Alzheimer’s treatments as early as possible for better outcomes.”