The authors infused 45 control subjects with sodium lactate. Eight of 10
subjects with lactate-induced panic attacks and 26 of 35 without panic
attacks were interviewed. An investigator, blind to the outcome of the
infusion study, obtained family histories of 160 relatives. There was a
high prevalence of anxiety disorders among first-degree relatives of
subjects with panic attacks. There was no significant difference in the
prevalence of mood disorders and substance abuse between first-degree
relatives of subjects with (N = 45) and without (N = 115) panic attacks.
The results suggest that individuals with a family history of anxiety
disorders may be vulnerable to lactate- induced panic attacks.Abstract Teaser