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Anxiety linked with increased risk of stroke, research shows

A person's risk of stroke is frequently linked to many lifestyle and diet factors, but now new research suggests it's also related to anxiety.

The long-term study, published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, found that people with high anxiety have a higher risk of stroke -- independent from depression, which is known to increase the risk.

"Everyone has some anxiety now and then. But when it's elevated and/or chronic, it may have an effect on your vasculature years down the road," says lead researcher Maya Lambiase from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Also see: People who frequently talk about themselves more prone to depression, anxiety

Lambiase and her team looked at more than 6,000 American adults over a 22-year period, and kept track of any strokes using hospital or nursing home records and death certificates. The researchers also assessed anxiety levels and overall health using in-person interviews, medical exams, questionnaires and blood draws, reports Today.

They asked the participants to rate on a scale of 0-5 how true various anxiety-related statements were: “Have you been anxious, worried or upset?” “Have you been under or felt you’ve been under any strain, stress or pressure?” “Have you been bothered by nervousness or your nerves?”

The researchers discovered that participants who were within the top third of anxiety had a 33 per cent higher risk of stroke than those with the lowest anxiety levels.

Also see: Canadian doctors skeptical of new blood pressure guidelines

However, it is unclear whether high anxiety actually caused the increased risk of stroke or if other lifestyle factors played a more significant role. For example, people with high anxiety were also more likely to smoke and be physically inactive, possibly explaining part of the anxiety-stroke link.

The researchers further speculate that the higher stroke risk in anxious people could be related to higher stress hormone levels, increased heart rate or high blood pressure.

"We know that a little bit of anxiety is a good thing, but when anxiety becomes excessive, it takes a toll on the body and needs to be treated," New York psychiatrist Dr. Scott Krakower comments on the study.