Risk factors

Illness anxiety disorder usually begins in early or middle adulthood and may get worse with age. Often for older individuals, health-related anxiety may focus on the fear of losing their memory.

Risk factors for illness anxiety disorder may include:

• A time of major life stress
• Threat of a serious illness that turns out not to be serious
• History of abuse as a child
• A serious childhood illness or a parent with a serious illness
• Personality traits, such as having a tendency toward being a worrier
• Excessive health-related internet use