Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Anxious Generation: a Review of the Relationship Between Anxiety Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease in Youth

  • Cardiovascular Disease (R Foraker, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Epidemiology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Rising rates of youth anxiety may adversely affect later cardiovascular health (CVH); thus, this is an area of research that could be lacking.

Recent Findings

Anxiety disorders and poor CVH have been linked in adults by way of negative effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and mortality. Anxiety disorders have also been linked to risky lifestyle and behavioral choices like adiposity, physical inactivity, substance abuse, and poor diet.

Summary

This paper explores CVD risk factors and diseases in relation to anxiety disorders and traits specifically in youth by exploring CVD diagnoses and risk factors. The results of these studies are mixed but suggest more research is needed into this population as a possible window of early intervention.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

  1. • APA Public Opinion Poll – Annual Meeting 2018. In: Psychiatry.org. https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/apa-public-opinion-poll-annual-meeting-2018. Accessed 4 Nov 2019. Provides recent statistics on anxiety in Americans, as well as a specific breakdown by age-group. It also notes feelings about, changes in, and sources of anxiety.

  2. Facts & Statistics | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. In: Adaa.org. https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics. Accessed 4 Nov 2019.

  3. • Ghandour R, Sherman L, Vladutiu C, Ali M, Lynch S, Bitsko R, et al. Prevalence and treatment of depression, anxiety, and conduct problems in US children. J Pediatr. 2019;206:256-267.e3 Provides analysis of National Survey of Children’s Health data from 2016 regarding prevalence and treatment seeking for children ages 3–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bellinger D. Prenatal exposures to environmental chemicals and children’s neurodevelopment: an update. Saf Health Work. 2013;4:1–11.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Power M, Kioumourtzoglou M, Hart J, Okereke O, Laden F, Weisskopf M. The relation between past exposure to fine particulate air pollution and prevalent anxiety: observational cohort study. BMJ. 2015:h1111.

  6. • McCarthy C. Anxiety in teens is rising: what’s going on?. 2019. In: HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx. Accessed 4 Nov 2019. Dr. Claire McCarthy, a primary care pediatrician, offers insights into why youth anxiety rates may be on the rise, such as social media, high pressures, and a “world that feels scary or threatening”.

  7. •• Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics— 2019 Update A Report From the American Heart Association. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000659. Reports extensive, up-to-date heart disease and stroke statistics from the American Heart Association for Americans. These data show age breakdowns of cardiovascular disease and risk factors for youth and adults.

  8. Cardiovascular diseases affect nearly half of American adults, statistics show. In: www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/01/31/cardiovascular-diseases-affect-nearly-half-of-american-adults-statistics-show. Accessed 4 Nov 2019.

  9. • Heart attacks increasingly common in young adults. In: ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190307081026.htm. Accessed 4 Nov 2019. This article lays out the rising rates of young (i.e., younger than 40) heart attacks despite decreasing rates overall, as well as some risk factors that contribute to CVD. They posit the cause could be rising substance abuse rates in younger people.

  10. •• Ouakinin S. Anxiety as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Front Psychiatry. 2016. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00025This review demonstrates the effect of anxiety on cardiovascular events and risk factors independent of anxiety and covers the mechanisms which govern this association.

  11. •• Suls J. Toxic affect: are anger, anxiety, and depression independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease? Emotion Rev. 2017;10:6–17 Provides extensive examples of the mechanism of anxiety and other negative effects on coronary heart disease.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Kubzansky L, Cole S, Kawachi I, Vokonas P, Sparrow D. Shared and unique contributions of anger, anxiety, and depression to coronary heart disease: a prospective study in the normative aging study. Ann Behav Med. 2006;31:21–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. •• Gross A, Kaizer A, Ryder J, Fox C, Rudser K, Dengel D, et al. Relationships of anxiety and depression with cardiovascular health in youth with normal weight to severe obesity. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2018;199:85–91 Explores anxiety and CVD risk factors in youth, 8–18 years old, in a cross-sectional study. This study explores 10 risk factors extensively as well as controlling for gender and Tanner stage.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Janszky I, Ahnve S, Lundberg I, Hemmingsson T. Early-onset depression, anxiety, and risk of subsequent coronary heart disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;56:31–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Huang K, Su T, Chen T, Chou Y, Bai Y. Comorbidity of cardiovascular diseases with mood and anxiety disorder: a population based 4-year study. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2009;63:401–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Thurston R, Rewak M, Kubzansky L. An anxious heart: anxiety and the onset of cardiovascular diseases. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2013;55:524–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Pires G, Rockett F, Salum G, Manfro G, Bosa V. Cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and their association with disease severity. Nutr Hosp. 2015;31:269–77.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Dobkin P, Treiber F, Tremblay R. Cardiovascular reactivity in adolescent boys of low socioeconomic status previously characterized as anxious, disruptive, anxious-disruptive or normal during childhood. Psychother Psychosom. 1999;69:50–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Mental Health and Heart Health. 2018. In: www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/mental-health-and-wellbeing/mental-health-and-heart-health. Accessed 5 Nov 2019.

  20. Nicholson A, Kuper H, Hemingway H. Depression as an aetiologic and prognostic factor in coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of 6362 events among 146 538 participants in 54 observational studies. Eur Heart J. 2006;27:2763–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. • Celano C, Daunis D, Lokko H, Campbell K, Huffman J. Anxiety disorders and cardiovascular disease. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-016-0739-5Establishes relationship between anxiety and cardiac disease in adults, especially regarding rates of generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder and non-cardiac chest pain, coronary artery disease, and myocardial infarctions.

  22. Bankier B, Barajas J, Martinez-Rumayor A, Januzzi J. Association between C-reactive protein and generalized anxiety disorder in stable coronary heart disease patients. Eur Heart J. 2008;29:2212–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Anxiety, depression tied to adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure. 2019. In: Healio.com. https://www.healio.com/psychiatry/anxiety/news/online/%7B772f9a37-d03f-44ed-b7ed-784c47abdad6%7D/anxiety-depression-tied-to-adverse-outcomes-in-patients-with-heart-failure. Accessed 5 Nov 2019.

  24. Cohen B, Edmondson D, Kronish I. State of the art review: depression, stress, anxiety, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Hypertens. 2015;28:1295–302.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Osika W, Montgomery S, Dangardt F, Wahrborg P, Gan L, Tideman E, et al. Anger, depression and anxiety associated with endothelial function in childhood and adolescence. Arch Dis Child. 2009;96:38–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Narita K, Murata T, Hamada T, Takahashi T, Kosaka H, Yoshida H, et al. Association between trait anxiety and endothelial function observed in elderly males but not in young males. Int Psychogeriatr. 2006;19:947–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Monk C, Kovelenko P, Ellman L, Sloan R, Bagiella E, Gorman J, et al. Enhanced stress reactivity in paediatric anxiety disorders: implications for future cardiovascular health. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2001. https://doi.org/10.1017/s146114570100236x.

  28. Sharma R, Balhara Y, Sagar R, Deepak K, Mehta M. Heart rate variability study of childhood anxiety disorders. Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research. 2011;2:115–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. • Louise S, Warrington N, Mc Caskie P, et al. Associations between anxious-depressed symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors in a longitudinal childhood study. Preventive Med. 2012;54:345–50 One of only 2 longitudinal studies that explored anxiety and CVD, which reduces the possibility for reverse causation.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Menard, A, Lizardo P. Cardiac disease in the young. 2016. In: Acls.net. https://www.acls.net/cardiac-disease-in-the-young.htm. Accessed 5 Nov 2019.

  31. Merikangas K, He J, Burstein M, Swanson S, Avenevoli S, Cui L, et al. Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010;49:980–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Castracane V, Kraemer R, Franken M, Kraemer G, Gimpel T. Serum leptin concentration in women: effect of age, obesity, and estrogen administration. Fertil Steril. 1998;70:472–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Irene Ryan.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The author declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cardiovascular Disease

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ryan, I. Anxious Generation: a Review of the Relationship Between Anxiety Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease in Youth. Curr Epidemiol Rep 7, 39–43 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-020-00228-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-020-00228-3

Keywords

Navigation