ASTHMA AND PANIC DISORDER

Objective: To compare asthma attacks with panic attacks and identify d iscriminating symptoms. Design: Survey, case-control study. Setting: T ertiary care centers. Patients: Convenience sample of 71 patients with panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia, and without medical illn esses; and 71 patients with asthma, cohort-matched from 407 patients t o be demographically similar to the panic disorder sample. Interventio ns: None. Main Outcome Measures: asthma Symptom Checklist. Results: Cl usters of symptoms reflecting panic-fear and hyperventilation-hypocapn ia were more strongly endorsed by subjects with panic disorder, wherea s airway obstruction symptom clusters were more strongly descriptive o f asthma attacks (all P<.05). Three symptoms differentiated the groups with sensitivity greater than 0.90 and specificity greater than 0.70: wheezing, mucous congestion, and coughing, all being present signific antly more among asthma attacks than panic attacks. Conclusion: Knowle dge of what symptoms discriminate asthma attacks from panic attacks ma y help physicians identify each type of attack in individuals who expe rience both.