Psychiatry Investig.  2014 Oct;11(4):412-418. 10.4306/pi.2014.11.4.412.

Clinical Characteristics of the Respiratory Subtype in Panic Disorder Patients

• Song HM
• Kim JH
• Heo JY
• Yu BH

• KMID: 2316368
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2014.11.4.412

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Panic disorder has been suggested to be divided into the respiratory and non-respiratory subtypes in terms of its clinical presentations. The present study aimed to investigate whether there are any differences in treatment response and clinical characteristics between the respiratory and non-respiratory subtypes of panic disorder patients.
METHODS
Among the 48 patients those who completed the study, 25 panic disorder patients were classified as the respiratory subtype, whereas 23 panic disorder patients were classified as the non-respiratory subtype. All patients were treated with escitalopram or paroxetine for 12 weeks. We measured clinical and psychological characteristics before and after pharmacotherapy using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), Albany Panic and Phobic Questionnaire (APPQ), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T, STAI-S), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D).
RESULTS
The prevalence of the agoraphobia was significantly higher in the respiratory group than the non-respiratory group although there were no differences in gender and medication between the two groups. The respiratory group showed higher scores on the fear of respiratory symptoms of the ASI-R. In addition, after pharmacotherapy, the respiratory group showed more improvement in panic symptoms than the non-respiratory group.
CONCLUSION
Panic disorder patients with the respiratory subtype showed more severe clinical presentations, but a greater treatment response to SSRIs than those with non-respiratory subtype. Thus, classification of panic disorder patients as respiratory and non-respiratory subtypes may be useful to predict clinical course and treatment response to SSRIs.

Keyword

Panic disorder; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; Clinical subtypes; Treatment outcome

MeSH Terms

Agoraphobia
Anxiety
Citalopram
Classification
Depression
Drug Therapy
Humans
Panic
Panic Disorder*
Paroxetine
Prevalence
Surveys and Questionnaires
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
Treatment Outcome
Citalopram
Paroxetine
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors