Emergency department visits for panic attacks and ambient temperature: A time-stratified case-crossover analysis

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Panic disorder affects up to 5% of the population.
• The pathogenesis of panic disorder is not fully understood.
• Limited evidence exists on the association between ambient temperature and panic attacks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the link between short-term exposure to increased ambient temperature and panic attack exacerbation.
• To determine if higher temperatures lead to more emergency department visits for panic attacks.

Main Methods:

• Utilized South Korea's national emergency database (2008-2014).
• Analyzed 1,926 emergency department visits for panic attacks in Seoul.
• Employed a time-stratified case-crossover design with conditional logistic regression.

Main Results:

• A significant association was found between increased ambient temperature and panic attacks.
• Each 1°C rise in temperature correlated with a 2.2% increase in panic attack risk (95% CI, 0.7-3.8%).
• The association remained significant after adjusting for air pollutants.

Conclusions:

• Short-term exposure to elevated ambient temperatures may heighten the risk of panic attack exacerbation.
• Findings suggest a potential environmental trigger for panic attacks.
• Further research is warranted to establish this association and inform preventive strategies for panic attacks.