Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149:1563-1567
Copyright © 1992 by American Psychiatric Association
Panic disorder history in the families of patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries
MG Kushner, AM Thomas, KM Bartels and BD Beitman
University of Missouri-Columbia.
OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated the diagnostic validity of an
interview-based panic disorder diagnosis in cardiology chest pain patients
with angiographically normal coronary arteries. METHOD: Patient probands
with normal coronary arteries (N = 65) were first contracted immediately
after their normal angiogram and were given a structured diagnostic
interview. On the basis of the results of the interview, probands were
grouped as having panic disorder (N = 19), panic attacks that did not meet
frequency criteria for panic disorder (N = 17), or no panic (N = 29). At a
later time, patient probands were recontacted and given a structured family
history interview that inquired about psychopathology in their first-degree
biological relatives (N = 544). RESULTS: As predicted, panic disorder was
significantly more prevalent among the first-degree relatives of probands
with normal coronary arteries diagnosed with panic disorder or panic
attacks than among the family members of probands with normal coronary
arteries without panic (17.4% versus 15.7% versus 4.0%). Family members of
probands with panic attacks were significantly more likely to be diagnosed
with major depression than were the family members of probands with no
panic; however, differences did not reach significance for family members
of the panic disorder proband group. Groups did not differ significantly in
familial alcoholism. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the construct validity
of an interview- based panic disorder diagnosis among patients with chest
pain and normal coronary arteries and suggest that these patients could
benefit from treatment for panic disorder.
