The authors administered lactate to 12 abstinent alcoholics with panic
disorder, 10 nonalcoholic patients with panic disorder, and eight control
subjects. They found that the alcoholic patients had fewer panic attacks in
response to lactate infusion than the nonalcoholic patients. This finding
was not attributable to differences in baseline anxiety or the change in
plasma chemical values brought about by sodium lactate administration. The
authors suggest that there may be subgroups of patients with panic disorder
who need further characterization to meaningfully elucidate the
pathophysiology of the disorder.
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