A community study of generalized anxiety disorder with vs. without health anxiety in Hong Kong

Although generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by multiple worries, anxiety about one's health is absent in the DSM-IV description of the illness.

A random community-based telephone survey (N = 2005) that covered DSM-IV symptoms of GAD, two core symptoms of major depression, Rome-III criteria of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), and help-seeking behavior was conducted.

The 1-year prevalence of 3-month GAD was 5.4%. Among affected individuals, 78.9% reported worry about personal health while 21.1% did not. The former subgroup was significantly older, had higher mean numbers of associated anxiety symptoms and worries, more likely to have worry about finances and sought professional help than the latter subgroup. The two subgroups had similar sex distribution, core depressive symptoms, IBS, distress and SDS impairment profiles.

Health anxiety is common in GAD. Some but not all illness severity indicators differed between GAD with and without health anxiety.