Am J Psychiatry 1995; 152:1081-1083
Copyright © 1995 by American Psychiatric Association
Discrimination between panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder by 35% carbon dioxide challenge
K Verburg, E Griez, J Meijer and H Pols
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, State University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to determine whether 35% carbon dioxide
(CO2) challenge would discriminate between patients with panic disorder and
patients with other anxiety disorders. METHOD: Nine patients with panic
disorder and nine with generalized anxiety disorder underwent the 35% CO2
challenge. RESULTS: Patients with panic disorder experienced a
significantly stronger increase in subjective anxiety than patients with
generalized anxiety disorder. However, increases in panic symptom scores
were high in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a large
increase in subjective anxiety due to the CO2 challenge is specific for
patients with panic disorder but that an increase in panic symptoms is not.
