An annual physical test typically involves a weight check and questions about unhealthy habits like smoking, but a new study from University of California, San Francisco, suggests health care providers may be overlooking a critical question: Are you depressed or anxious?
According to the Science Daily website, the new research showed that anxiety and depression may be leading predictors of conditions ranging from heart disease and high blood pressure to arthritis, headaches, back pain and stomach upset, having similar effects as long-established risk factors like smoking and obesity.
The study looked at the health data of more than 15,000 older adults over a four-year period. It found that 16% (2,225) suffered from high levels of anxiety and depression, 31% (4,737) were obese and 14% (2,125) were current smokers, according to their study published in the journal Health Psychology on Dec. 17.
Participants with high levels of anxiety and depression were found to face 65% increased odds for a heart condition, 64% for stroke, 50% for high blood pressure and 87% for arthritis, compared to those without anxiety and depression.
"These increased odds are similar to those of participants who are smokers or are obese. However, for arthritis, high anxiety and depression seem to confer higher risks than smoking and obesity," affirmed one of the study's lead authors.
Unlike the other conditions investigated, the authors found that high levels of depression and anxiety were not associated with cancer incidence. This confirms results from previous studies, but contradicts a prevailing idea shared by many patients.
