Does Alzheimer’s disease lead to anxiety symptoms, or do anxiety symptoms lead to cognitive decline? The answer may be both. Experts studying Alzheimer’s disease have released an intriguing study related to the disease’s relationship with anxiety. The Radiological Society of North America studied a group of more than 300 seniors experiencing mild cognitive decline and found a link between anxiety symptoms and a faster progression from mild cognitive decline to Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers said that more study on the subject could help with the screening for Alzheimer’s and management of patients with mild cognitive decline.
“We need to better understand the association between anxiety disorders and cognitive decline,” said Dr. Maria Vittoria Spampinato of Medical University of South Carolina. “We don’t know yet if the anxiety is a symptom—in other words, their memory is getting worse and they become anxious—or if anxiety contributes to cognitive decline. If we were able in the future to find that anxiety is actually causing progression, then we should more aggressively screen for anxiety disorders in the elderly.”
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