Generalized anxiety disorder patients seek evaluation for cardiological symptoms at the same frequency as patients with panic disorder

Although panic disorder (PD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have similar somatic symptoms, panic attacks with chest pain and/or palpitations may seem more likely to be mistaken for heart attacks because of their acute onset. One would therefore expect that PD patients are more likely than GA...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychiatric research 1993, Vol.27 (1), p.55-59
Main Authors: Logue, Mary Beth, Thomas, Ann Muir, Barbee, James G, Hoehn-Saric, Rudolf, Maddock, Richard J, Schwab, John, Smith, Rebecca D, Sullivan, Mark, Beitman, Bernard D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Anxiety Disorders - complications
Anxiety Disorders - physiopathology
Anxiety Disorders - psychology
Anxiety disorders. Neuroses
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology
Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology
Cardiovascular Diseases - psychology
Humans
Medical sciences
Panic Disorder - complications
Panic Disorder - physiopathology
Panic Disorder - psychology
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
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Summary:Although panic disorder (PD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have similar somatic symptoms, panic attacks with chest pain and/or palpitations may seem more likely to be mistaken for heart attacks because of their acute onset. One would therefore expect that PD patients are more likely than GAD patients to seek cardiological consultations. In a survey of 146 PD and 154 GAD patients entering a multi-site drug trial, we found virtually identical rates of such consults. Approximately 50% of each patient group sought medical evaluation for cardiac symptoms. Furthermore, 40% of each group had standard treadmill evaluations and 33% reported having an echocardiogram. This study suggests that future epidemiological studies in cardiology populations should include probes for generalized anxiety disorder.
ISSN:0022-3956
1879-1379
DOI:10.1016/0022-3956(93)90049-8