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Hypersensitivity to carbon dioxide as a disease-specific trait marker
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Psychiatry Research-MEB, Iowa City 52242, USA.
Biological Psychiatry
|February 1, 1997
Summary
Individuals with a family history of panic disorder show an abnormal suffocation alarm threshold. This heightened sensitivity to suffocation triggers panic attacks in high-risk individuals, suggesting early biological markers for panic disorder.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Panic disorder is strongly linked to an abnormal suffocation alarm threshold.
- Panic disorder has a significant familial component, suggesting inherited predispositions.
- Abnormal suffocation sensitivity may manifest in high-risk individuals prior to clinical illness onset.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the suffocation alarm threshold in individuals at high risk for panic disorder.
- To determine if a family history of panic disorder predicts an abnormal physiological response to a suffocation challenge.
- To compare responses between high-risk panic disorder subjects, high-risk affective disorder subjects, and low-risk controls.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 11 subjects with a first-degree relative diagnosed with panic disorder was evaluated.
- A second cohort of 13 subjects with multiple relatives treated for affective disorders (mania or depression) was assessed.
- A control group of 15 low-risk individuals with no family history of panic or affective disorders was included.
- Subjects underwent a single inhalation challenge with 35% carbon dioxide (CO2) versus air.
- Participants were aged 18-34 and had no prior history of panic attacks or diagnosed psychiatric disorders.
Main Results:
- Five out of 11 (45.5%) high-risk panic disorder subjects experienced a panic attack after inhaling 35% CO2.
- None of the low-risk control subjects (p = .007) or high-risk affective disorder subjects (p = .011) developed panic attacks.
- The results indicate a significantly higher incidence of panic attacks in individuals with a familial predisposition to panic disorder.
Conclusions:
- An abnormal suffocation alarm threshold is a potential biological marker for panic disorder.
- Familial risk for panic disorder is associated with an exaggerated physiological response to CO2 inhalation.
- These findings support the hypothesis that an altered suffocation sensitivity contributes to the pathophysiology of panic disorder.