Patients suffering from panic attacks are more likely to have hearth attacks in comparison to the general population.
The risk of panic attacks is more likely in patients below the age of 50 years, and thus they are more likely to experience heart attacks.
These patients are, however, less likely to die of heart diseases. There seems to be a complex relationship between panic attacks and heart attacks as the symptoms of the two are closely related.
Data from approximately 58,000 patients aged 16 years and older diagnosed with panic disorder and a random sample of 347,000 similar subjects without panic disorder was analyzed by researchers from UK.
It was found that panic disorder was associated with a 38 percent higher risk of heart attack in those under the age of 50 years. The rate was highest for young women (ages 16-40 years), among whom the risk was more than trebled. Panic disorder was also associated with heart disease and, in this case, the risk was seen in all age groups. Once again, young women with panic disorder had the highest risk.
It also stressed that doctors should be more careful of heart diseases in patients of panic disorder.
