High anxiety levels increase the risk of strokes by more than 33 percent, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found.

While many studies have linked anxiety levels to coronary heart diseases, this is one of the few studies that look into how high levels of anxiety affect the risk of suffering a stroke.

"Anxiety is a very common condition in the general population, but it's also a modifiable behavior," said Maya Lambiase, Ph.D., post-doctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburgh in a press statement. "Assessment and treatment of anxiety has the potential to not only improve overall quality of life, but also reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, later in life."

For the study, researchers asked subjects aged between 22 and 75 years to fill out questionnaires about their anxiety and depression levels. All participants were followed for a period of up to 22 years. A record of stroke occurrences amongst these subjects during this period was maintained.  During the study period, nearly 7 percent of these patients, some 419 people, had strokes, according to Today.com.

After evaluating more than 6,000 participants, Lambiase and her team found that people with the highest level of anxiety were at a 33 percent higher risk of strokes than people with low levels of anxiety.

"Even a modest increase in anxiety was associated with an increase in stroke risk, so greater education and awareness of anxiety management is important," said Lambiase. The researchers also noted that people with high anxiety levels are more likely to smoke and be physically, inactive which may help explain part of the anxiety-stroke link.

So what is the mechanism that links the two? Researchers found that an anxiety can lead to a set of biochemical reactions that flood the body with a stress hormone known ad cortisol. This hormone then activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal or HPA axis, the system responsible for regulating stress and other bodily functions. If this activation is prolonged or very intense, it can damage the vascular system, including the blood vessels in the brain, increasing the chances of a stroke.

Anxiety and depression are the two most common mental illnesses in the United States. Anxiety alone affects more than 40 million American adults. Though the disorder is highly treatable, only 33 percent suffering from anxiety receive proper treatment. Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. more than $42 billion a year, almost one-third of the country's $148 billion total mental health bill.

"Most of the focus up until this point has been on depression. These findings underscore the importance of also considering anxiety when considering cardiovascular diseases," noted Rebecca Thurston, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at Pitt and co-author of the study. "These findings encourage practitioners to assess and treat anxiety, as well as to reconsider popular notions such as 'worried well' - this worrying may not make us so well."