Essay on Anxiety in Alzheimer’s Disease: Prevalence and Comorbidity

Introduction

The relationship between anxiety and depression in Alzheimer’s Disease is not defined. Anxiety is known to lead to various conditions, such as disability and psychiatric morbidity among AD patients. However, aspects such as the relationship between anxiety and dementia progression, comorbid depression, or other behavioral problems has not been explored. This paper examines the effect of anxiety in AD patients concerning their behavior and cognitive deterioration. The paper also shows that anxiety is a risk factor for AD.

Proposals

Anxiety in Alzheimer’s disease: Prevalence and Comorbidity

Motivated by the high prevalence of depression (of eighty-seven percent) in AD, ⁽¹⁾Teri et al. (1999) sought to study and explain the nature of anxiety-depression comorbidity. The study involved participants from the ADPR registry that met the criteria for ‘probable’ or ‘possible’ AD. The average age of the participants was 79.3 years, while sixty-four percent were female, eighty-nine percent were Caucasian, and forty-nine percent were married. The parameters collected measured essential mental functions using the MMSE (14) and MDRS (15-16). Functional ability was tested using the ADL parameter, which quantifies the ease of carrying out daily activities. The study employed a behavioral checklist to assess the symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and other behavioral challenges. Data analyses were done using automated tools – SPSS and STATA. The study identified variables that signified anxiety and used them to compare participants in groups using logistic regression analysis and polytomous regression to come up with the magnitude scale for each variable.

Results revealed at least seventy percent of AD patients show signs of anxiety. Anxiety is the primary cause of behavioral problems and impaired ADL. The study found a high prevalence of the condition with an odds ratio of 4.2. From the results of the study and supported by previous studies, ADL impairment, and reduced cognitive ability/functioning were adversely affected by patient anxiety and depression. Depression was mostly responsible for difficulty performing daily routine while youth were more likely to suffer anxiety-depression comorbidity. Parameters from this study provide reference encouraging development in successful AD healthcare provision

Discussion

Counterargument

In their study of anxiety in Alzheimer’s disease among 523 subjects, ⁽¹⁾Teri et al. (1999) found that anxiety symptoms appeared in 70% of the subjects. ⁽¹⁾Teri et al. (1999) also argue that anxiety in Alzheimer’s led to behaviors such as hallucinations, verbal threats, sexual misconduct, and even physical abuse. In contrast to these findings, ⁽²⁾Breitve et al. (2016) suggest contradictory ideas concerning the effect of anxiety in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. ⁽²⁾Breitve et al. (2016), in a study to document anxiety in dementia, argue that anxiety is not a significant factor in the rate of cognitive deterioration in patients with a first-time diagnosis of dementia.

Argument

⁽¹⁾Teri et al. (1999) found that anxiety symptoms appeared in the majority of Alzheimer’s cases. Also, more than half of the cases in this study showed comorbidity of Alzheimer’s with anxiety—depression (⁽¹⁾Teri et al., 1999: M48). Closely related to Teri et al.’s findings is the idea that anxiety could be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. ⁽³⁾Becker et al. (2018), in a study on anxiety, sought to find out if anxiety was a risk factor for Alzheimer’s. ⁽³⁾Becker et al. (2018) found out that anxiety was an indicator of the risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

Conclusion

This paper sought to show that anxiety is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease as well as the effect of anxiety in AD patients concerning their behavior and cognitive deterioration. Anxiety is not only comorbid with Alzheimer’s disease, but it is also a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Also, although anxiety among patients with Alzheimer’s disease is known to cause behaviors such as hallucinations, anxiety is not a significant factor in the rate of cognitive deterioration in patients with a first-time diagnosis of dementia.

References

1. Teri L, Ferretti LE, Gibbons LE, Logsdon RG, McCurry SM, Kukull WA, McCormick WC, Bowen JD, Larson EB. Anxiety in Alzheimer’s disease: Prevalence and comorbidity. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences. 1999 Jul 1;54(7): M348-52.
2. Breitve MH, Hynninen MJ, Brønnick K, Chwiszczuk LJ, Auestad BH, Aarsland D, Rongve A. A longitudinal study of anxiety and cognitive decline in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s research & therapy. 2016 Dec;8(1):3.
3. Becker E, Rios CL, Lahmann C, Rücker G, Bauer J, Boeker M. Anxiety as a risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2018 Nov;213(5):654-60.