[Serum-blood serotonin level as a marker of panic attacks severity and effectiveness of their treatment]

Twenty-eight males with psychogenic (emotiogenic) autonomic dystonia with paroxysmal course (panic attacks) have been studied. Serum serotonin (S) concentration has been measured using ELISA. The deficit (147,36+/-69,80 ng/ml) of humoral S has been found compared to a control group (295,18+/-152,38 ng/ml). After the 8-weeks treatment with a SSRIs antidepressant rexetin in dosage 20 mg/day, a distinct clinical effect has been observed. There was a decrease of the number and severity of paroxysms as well as severity of symptoms of psychoautonomic syndrome (the reduction of depression, anxiety and optimization of autonomic regulation). Despite the therapeutic effectiveness of rexetin, serum S concentration has decreased still more to 59,92+/-23,06 ng/ml. The paradoxical phenomenon of growing deficit in the humoral pattern of serotonergic system during the short-term course of SSRIs antidepressant treatment is reviewed as a result of the transfer of neuromediator from the blood to the cerebral structures with the following activation of serotonergic system that provides the therapeutic effect.