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Anxiety and the risk of death in older men and women

Department of General Practice, Amsterdam

Aartjan T. F. Beekman, MD, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam

Edwin De Beurs, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden

Hannie Comijs, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Harm Van Marwijk, MD, PhD and Marten De Haan, MD, PhD

Department of General Practice, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Willem Van Tilburg, MD, PhD and Dorly J. H. Deeg, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Correspondence: Mr Hein van Hout, Department of General Practice, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Van der Boechorststraat 7,1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 20 4448199; fax: +31 20 4448361; e-mail: Hpj.vanhout{at}vumc.nl

Declaration of interest None.

Background There are inconsistent reports as to whether people with anxiety disorders have a higher mortality risk.

Aims To determine whether anxiety disorders predict mortality in older men and women in the community.

Method Longitudinal data were used from a large, community-based random sample (n=3107) of older men and women (55–85 years) in The Netherlands, with a follow-up period of 7.5 years. Anxiety disorders were assessed according to DSM–III criteria in a two-stage screening design.

Results In men, the adjusted mortality risk was 1.78 (95% CI 1.01–3.13) in cases with diagnosed anxiety disorders at baseline. In women, no significant association was found with mortality.

Conclusions The study revealed a gender difference in the association between anxiety and mortality. For men, but not for women, an increased mortality risk was found for anxiety disorders.

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