People with severe symptoms of anxiety have a higher risk of having a stroke, according to a new research reported by Reuters.

The study, which was published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, is one of the first studies to link anxiety and stroke independent of other psychosocial factors such as depression or psychological stress, according to Reuters.

"The greater your anxiety level, the higher your risks of having a stroke," study co-author Dr. Maya J. Lambiase of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told Reuters. "Assessment and treatment of anxiety has the potential to not only improve overall quality of life, but may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, later in life."

Researchers analyzed data from 6,019 men and women who were enrolled in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 1971-1975 and followed them for about 16 years, Reuters reported.

At the start of the study, participants underwent an interview to gauge anxiety levels. Stroke events were identified by examining hospital or nursing home discharge reports and death certificates, Reuters reported.

Throughout the study period, 419 strokes occurred. Researchers found that the risk of stroke was higher among those who reported more severe anxiety symptoms, including excessive feelings of worry, stress and nervousness, at the initial interview.

Researchers concluded that anxiety was linked to a 14 percent higher risk of "stroke relative to participants who were not anxious," Reuters reported. Researchers said the study also suggest that stroke risk also appeared to rise in line with increasing severity of anxiety symptoms.

Dr. Phillip Muskin, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York told Reuters the study shows that the stroke risk identified in the study among overly anxious individuals was not vastly increased.

"What it's really saying is, you're a little more likely to have a stroke," said Muskin, who was not involved in the study.

Although researchers did not analyze the reason for the connection between anxiety and stroke, but they noted that multiple factors could be involved, such as the unhealthy ways people choose to cope with worry.

"People with high anxiety levels are more likely to smoke and be physically inactive, possibly explaining part of the anxiety-stroke link," Lambiase said. "Higher stress hormones, blood pressure or sympathetic output may also be factors."

Lambiase said future research is needed to determine the "precise mechanisms whereby greater levels of anxiety increase a person's risk for stroke."