Are aging men more prone to anxiety?

At 51 I suddenly developed panic attacks which to say the least are very difficult to deal with, especially when you don't know when the next one will occur. I reluctantly went to the doctor and was prescribed a low dose Xanax without my doctor batting an eye. It was like he was expecting this to occur, while to me it seem to come out of no where and for no particular reason. I then went to a shrink and came to realize that it was associated with a combination of my sleep apnea and my claustrophobia that makes me intolerant of the cpap. The .25 mg Xanax works like a charm, but I just find needing it so suddenly so obscure. Some time later a friend told me the onset of anxiety is common among aging men, but I have never heard such a thing before and am curious if that is true, or if that statement was just an effort to comfort me.