Panic Attacks Lead to Heart Attacks

Could the autonomic arousal that accompanies anxiety contribute to cardiovascular instability? To find out, these investigators extracted data from the Myocardial Ischemia and Migraine Study, a prospective, community-based study of 3369 generally healthy women (age range, 51–83). Most of the data were obtained from questionnaires, which were supplemented by physical examination and ambulatory EKG monitoring and by individual follow-up or event confirmation of patients who had died or been hospitalized for serious cardiovascular events.

Full-blown panic attacks were defined as sudden fear, anxiety, or extreme discomfort accompanied by four or more DSM-defined panic attack symptoms. A total of 330 patients reported experiencing full-blown pani…