Panic disorder has been associated with mitral valve prolapse and
thyroid abnormalities. Mitral valve prolapse has also been associated with
thyroid abnormalities. The authors studied a consecutive series of 65
patients self-referred for evaluation of panic attacks, who were examined
for cardiac and thyroid abnormalities. Fifty percent of the patients had
mitral valve prolapse according to both cardiac auscultation and
echocardiography. Twenty-six percent of the women had some thyroid
abnormality; 17% had thyroid microsomal antibodies. There was no apparent
relationship between mitral valve prolapse and thyroid abnormalities. These
observations suggest that panic attacks, mitral valve prolapse, and
autoimmune thyroid disorders are associated.
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