Hyperventilation in Panic Disorder and Social Phobia

• Published in: Psychopathology Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 123 - 127
• Main Authors: Nardi, Antonio E., Valença, Alexandre M., Nascimento, Isabella, Mezzasalma, Marco A., Zin, Walter A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland Karger 01.05.2001; S. Karger AG
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Fear & phobias; Female; Humans; Hyperventilation - diagnosis; Hyperventilation - epidemiology; Hyperventilation - etiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Original Paper; Panic Disorder - diagnosis; Panic Disorder - psychology; Phobic Disorders - diagnosis; Phobic Disorders - psychology; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Time Factors; Ventilation; Panic attacks; Respiration; Anxiety disorder; Human; Panic; Social phobia; Risk factor; Hyperventilation
• ISSN: 0254-4962; 1423-033X
• DOI: 10.1159/000049294

The aim of our study was to observe the induction of panic attacks by hyperventilation in a group of panic disorder and social phobia patients (DSM-IV). We randomly selected 26 panic disorder patients, 22 social phobics and 25 normal volunteers. They were drug-free for 1 week. Hyperventilation (30 breaths/min) was induced for 3 min. Anxiety scales were taken before and after the test. 61.5% (n = 16) of panic disorder patients, 22.7% (n = 5) of social phobics and 4.0% (n = 1) of control subjects had a panic attack after hyperventilating (p < 0.01, panic disorder vs. control; p < 0.05, panic disorder vs. social phobia; p = n.s., social phobia vs. control). Both anxiety disorder groups were more sensitive to hyperventilation than normal volunteers. The induction of panic attacks by voluntary hyperventilation may be an easy and useful test for validating the diagnosis in some specific panic disorder patients.