Younger people who suffer panic attacks or who have been diagnosed with a panic disorder are at significantly greater risk for having a heart attack or developing heart disease, a new study suggests.
Researchers in the U.K. found that study subjects who were diagnosed with panic attacks or a panic disorder under the age of 50 had a 38 per cent greater risk of having a heart attack and a 44 per cent greater risk of developing heart disease.
The research team gleaned their data from medical records of more than 400,000 adults, more than 57,000 of whom had been diagnosed with panic attacks or a panic disorder. The rest did not have either condition.
According to the researchers, little is known about the link between panic disorders and heart disease. While panic attack symptoms can be similar to those of a heart attack or heart disease, the findings suggest that the conditions may be more closely linked.
"Our findings have significant implications for clinicians," lead researcher Dr. Kate Walters, a senior lecturer in primary care at University College London, said in a statement.
"This may be due to initial misdiagnosis of CHD (cardiovascular heart disease) as panic attacks, or a true underlying increased risk of CHD with panic attacks. Clinicians should be vigilant for this possibility when diagnosing and treating people presenting with symptoms of panic."
The findings are published in the European Heart Journal.
Despite the increased heart attack and heart disease risks, the researchers did find some good news.
The study found that those who suffer from panic attacks or panic disorder have a 24 per cent reduced risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who do not suffer from either condition.
According to Walters, this could be because those who suffer from panic attacks or panic disorder may visit their doctors more frequently and therefore receive timely diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.
But the overall risk for heart attack and heart disease could be explained by a number of factors, which include:
- patients with heart disease could be misdiagnosed has having panic attacks or panic disorder.
- panic disorder could cause some cases of heart disease or heart attack by affecting heart rate as well as the pathways that lead to clogged arteries.
- many patients with panic attack or disorder also suffer from depression, which is also a risk factor for heart disease.
The findings are not meant to worry patients who suffer from panic attacks, Walters said.
However, they should encourage patients to visit their doctor if their symptoms are not under control.
