November 2, 2022

Anxiety Linked to Long-Term Stroke Risk

Anxiety Linked to Long-Term Stroke Risk

Anxiety Linked to Long-Term Stroke Risk

The higher the level of anxiety, the greater the risk of having a stroke, according to research published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke in December 2013.

This study is the first in which researchers linked anxiety and stroke independently of other factors such as depression. Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems. Symptoms include feeling unusual:

  • worried
  • stressed
  • nervous
  • tense

Over a 22-year period, researchers studied a nationally representative group of 6,019 people ages 25 to 74 in the first edition of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The participants underwent an interview, underwent blood tests and medical examinations, and answered psychological questionnaires to measure their levels of anxiety and depression.

Even moderate increases in anxiety were associated with an increased risk of stroke

The researchers looked for strokes among reports from hospitals or nursing homes and on death certificates. After accounting for other factors, they found that even moderate increases in anxiety were associated with an increased risk of stroke.

People with the highest third of anxiety symptoms had a 33% higher risk of stroke than those with the lowest levels.

“Everyone experiences some level of anxiety from time to time. But when it’s high or chronic, it could affect the vasculature years later,” said Maya Lambiase Ph.D., study author and researcher in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh.

People with high levels of anxiety are more likely to smoke and not be physically active, which may partly explain the link between anxiety and stroke. Higher stress hormone levels, heart rate or blood pressure could also be factors, Lambiase said.

In previous work, researchers found that depression was linked to an increased risk of stroke, which ranks fourth among causes of death and is a leading cause of disability in the United States. In contrast to anxiety, depression is a constant feeling of hopelessness, dejection, and lack of energy, among other symptoms.

The study was sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health.

How to combat stress and learn strategies to manage it.

Written by the editorial staff of the American Heart Association and reviewed by scientific and medical advisors. Check out our editorial policy and our template.

Can stress cause a stroke?

If you have symptoms, you should go to the emergency room to avoid further damage to the brain.

As explained by the National Institutes of Health of the United States (NIH, for its acronym in English) , a cerebrovascular accident, also known as a brain attack or stroke, happens when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted or when a blood vessel blood bursts in the brain. When the latter occurs, blood spills into the spaces around the brain cells and they can die from lack of oxygen.

At the time of having a stroke, it is important to go immediately to a medical center. “It is a medical emergency, and immediate treatment is crucial. Early action can reduce brain damage and other complications,” says the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization dedicated to clinical practice, education, and research.

Medline Plus, the website of the United States National Library of Medicine, explains that symptoms can manifest quickly. These include:

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