Anxiety disorders are linked to a number
of physical problems, including arthritis,
migraine headaches, respiratory disease, gastrointestinal
issues, allergies, and thyroid disease, a
new study finds.
Experts have long recognized an association
between depression and physical illness, while
evidence of a link between anxiety and physical
health is more recent, according to background
information in the article.
In this study, Canadian researchers analyzed
data on nearly 4,200 people who took part
in the German Health Survey between 1997 and
1999. The participants had a physical examination
and filled out a questionnaire that asked
them about 44 specific health conditions.
They also filled out a quality of life survey
that measured factors such as physical functioning,
pain, and general health.
The participants also underwent psychiatric
interviews designed to detect anxiety disorders,
such as panic disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, and agoraphobia (fear of being in
a situation where anxiety or panic may occur
and it may be difficult to escape from the
situation).
Of the study participants, 8.4 percent had
had an anxiety disorder within the previous
month and 60.8 percent had had a physical
problem. The researchers found that having
an anxiety disorder was associated with having
any type of physical condition.
Most people with both an anxiety disorder
and a physical problem developed the anxiety
disorder first and they tended to have a poorer
quality of life than people with either an
anxiety disorder or physical condition alone.
"The mechanisms of association between
anxiety disorders and physical conditions
remain unknown, although several possibilities
should be considered," the study authors
wrote in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal
Archives of Internal Medicine.
For example, having a physical illness may
cause worry and anxiety that eventually becomes
serious enough to qualify as an anxiety disorder;
having an anxiety disorder may trigger biological
changes that contribute to physical illness;
or a third condition, such as a substance
abuse disorder, could be linked with both
anxiety disorder and physical illness.
"Although there have been increased
efforts to recognize and treat depression
in the medically ill, our findings underscore
the need to create similar programs to recognize
and treat anxiety disorders in the medically
ill," the authors wrote.
