Panic disorder: neurobiology and mechanisms of cardiac risk

有些人经常出现反复发作的、常常是莫名的焦虑，这种焦虑非常令人不快，并伴有出汗、心悸、震颤和窒息等身体症状。在几个月或几年内反复发作，构成了恐慌症诊断的基础。直到最近，人们一直认为，尽管恐慌症令人痛苦并使人丧失能力，但它并不构成生命危险。由于症状的性质，患者经常担心自己患有心脏病，但他们得到的保证是，情况并非如此。然而，最近的流行病学研究表明，惊恐障碍患者的风险增加。我们在这项研究项目中的假设如下：某些特定基因容易导致恐慌症的发展-通过对神经系统和血管的作用，药物治疗(选择性5-羟色胺摄取阻滞剂)和心理治疗(认知行为治疗，CBT)降低恐慌症的心脏风险。我们将使用最先进的临床科学方法来检验这些假设。惊恐障碍有一个重要的心脏病学方面，需要更好地了解这一点，才能在惊恐障碍患者中实现心脏保护。

Some people are subject to episodes of recurring, often inexplicable anxiety which are very unpleasant and accompanied by physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, tremor and a sensation of suffocation. Recurring attacks over a period of months, or years, forms the basis for the diagnostic of panic disorder. It has until recently been felt that although panic disorder was distressing and disabling, it did not constitute a risk of life. Sufferers often fear that they have heart disease, because of the nature of their symptoms, but have been reassured that this is not the case. Recent epidemiological studies, however, indicate that there is an increased risk in patients with panic disorder. Our hypotheses in this research project are as follow: That some specific genes predispose to the development of panic disorder - through actions on the nervous system and blood vessels That drug treatment (selective serotonin uptake blockers) and psychological treatment (cognitive behaviour therapy, CBT) reduce cardiac risk in panic disorder We will test these hypothesis using state of the art clinical scientific methods. Panic disorder has an important cardiological dimension which needs to be better understood for cardiac protection to be achieved in panic disorder patients.