HEART-RATE AND BLOOD-PRESSURE IN PANIC DISORDER, MAJOR DEPRESSION, AND COMORBID PANIC DISORDER WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION

Secondary major depression is common in patients with panic disorder ( PD) and has been reported to worsen prognosis. Little is known about t he effect of comorbid depression on the autonomic symptoms associated with PD. In this study, the heart rate and blood pressure of 44 patien ts with PD, 20 patients with major depression (MD), and 12 patients wi th both panic disorder and depression (PDD) were measured during postu ral challenge. Patients with PDD were found to have higher diastolic a nd systolic pressures throughout (P < 0.05), and to have a higher rest ing cardiac load (P < 0.05). This heightened autonomic arousal remaine d when the effects of age, race, and the frequency of panic attacks we re removed. The results suggest that PDD patients may have increased a utonomic dysfunction. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All right s reserved.