Anxiety disorders in older Puerto Rican primary care patients

Authors examined the frequency and comorbidity of anxiety disorders among aging Puerto Ricans seen in primary care.

A group of 303 middle-aged and older low-socioeconomic-status Puerto Ricans attending primary-care clinics were surveyed, using a Spanish-language diagnostic interview.

Twenty-four percent of participants met probable DSM criteria for at least one anxiety disorder in the previous year, especially generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, and panic attacks. Psychiatric comorbidity was common; the occurrence of most anxiety disorders increased the conditional risk of a comorbid disorder from 5- to 30-fold.

The present results suggest a need to screen at-risk patients in primary care settings serving this population.