Incidence and Peak Age of Anxiety Disorders at a General Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: The most prevalent mental disorders which affect up to 33.7% of the population include generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety mixed with depression, panic attack, panic disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, and agoraphobia, all of which fall under the umbrella of anxiety disorder. Its prevalence has increased due to social, environmental, and political changes, and such patients are mostly treated as outpatients. Its incidence rate from 1990 to 2019 slightly increased among the people aged 20–39 and over 75 years, but its prevalence rate over the past 60 years has gradually decreased. Methods: This single-center cross-sectional study initially enrolled 2288 patients with anxiety disorders from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020, at Hera General Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Data was extracted from the hospital’s health information system. Results: Anxiety disorders developed at an average age of 41.6 years, peak age of 39.5 years, and most frequent age of 38 years, with significant changes in the median age of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Conclusion: Anxiety disorders are the second most dysfunctional mental disorder in Saudi Arabia, with incident rate of approximately 135 cases per year with an average onset at around 41 years old at our institution.