Am J Psychiatry 1986; 143:511-515
Copyright © 1986 by American Psychiatric Association
The prevalence of mitral valve prolapse in patients with panic disorders
R Liberthson, DV Sheehan, ME King and AE Weyman
Of 131 patients with panic disorder or agoraphobia, 44 (34%) had definite
mitral valve prolapse on the basis of clinical findings of an apical mid-
or late systolic click and a murmur and/or a two- dimensional
echocardiogram showing prolapse of one leaflet in two views or of two
leaflets in a single view. Seven other patients (5%) had a probable
diagnosis of mitral prolapse on the basis of a typical murmur alone or an
intermittent apical mid- or late systolic click and a prolapsing leaflet in
a single echocardiographic view. This finding confirms previous reports of
the association between panic disorder and mitral valve prolapse.
