Prevalence of panic disorder in post-myocardial infarction patients

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of panic symptoms and panic disorder among post-myocardial infarction patients. One hundred eleven individuals completed the Panic Attacks Questionnaire (PAQ) 3 months following myocardial infarction. Of the 111 participants, 19 (17%) reported experiencing at least one panic attack in the past year. On the basis of questionnaire data alone, seven participants met the full diagnostic criteria for panic disorder, making the observed prevalence rate 6%. Four of the seven participants with panic disorder diagnoses underwent structured interviews, which confirmed the diagnoses. The other three participants were unable to follow through with the interview process, two due to transportation problems and one who passed away. Therefore, our most conservative prevalence estimate is a rate of 3.6%. The four cases of confirmed panic disorder tended to be younger than the sample as a whole. On questionnaire measures, their scores were comparable to those of individuals seeking treatment for panic disorder and significantly different from those of a comparison sample.