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An episode in which a very intense fear occurs suddenly, apparently without explanation.
It is twice as common in women and usually manifests before the age of 25, although cases have been described at any age.
Panic attacks can occur in many disorders, but are very common in anxiety disorders.
The cause is unknown, but a genetic origin has been postulated.
The feeling of fear is usually accompanied by symptoms such as tachycardia, high blood pressure, difficulty breathing with a feeling of suffocation, rapid breathing, nausea, dizziness, excessive sweating, fear of losing control or going crazy, etc. The experience ends up limiting daily behaviors and leads to progressive isolation, experiencing a constant restlessness or worry that the symptoms will reappear.
Diagnosis is made clinically through directed questioning, usually by a psychiatrist.
Treatment includes strategies for coping with, rather than avoiding, the events that trigger the attacks, as well as medication and psychological therapy. Acute episodes are treated with benzodiazepines, and frequent recurrences require treatment with antidepressants.
- Peter P Roy-Byrne, MD. Panic disorder in adults: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, course, assessment, and diagnosis. UpToDate.
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, et al. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Ann Intern Med 2007; 146:317.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association, Arlington, VA 2013.
- Goldstein RB, Weissman MM, Adams PB, et al. Psychiatric disorders in relatives of probands with panic disorder and/or major depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1994; 51:383.
- Goodwin RD, Faravelli C, Rosi S, et al. The epidemiology of panic disorder and agoraphobia in Europe. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2005; 15:435.
Dr. Abel Andrés Orelogio
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