Mb. Logue et al., GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER PATIENTS SEEK EVALUATION FOR CARDIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS AT THE SAME FREQUENCY AS PATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER, Journal of Psychiatric Research, 27(1), 1993, pp. 55-59
Although panic disorder (PD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) ha
ve similar somatic symptoms, panic attacks with chest pain and/or palp
itations 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 tr
ial, we found virtually identical rates of such consults. Approximatel
y 50% of each patient group sought medical evaluation for cardiac symp
toms. Furthermore, 40% of each group had standard treadmill evaluation
s and 33% reported having an echocardiogram. This study suggests that
future epidemiological studies in cardiology populations should includ
e probes for generalized anxiety disorder.