J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2019 Nov;58(4):339-345. 10.4306/jknpa.2019.58.4.339.

The Bodily Panic Symptoms and Predisposing Stressors in Korean Patients with Panic Disorder

• Lee HJ
• Gim MS
• Kim SJ
• Park SC
• Yang JC
• Lee KU
• Lee SH
• Lee SJ
• Lim SW
• Chae JH
• Han SW
• Hong JP
• Seo HJ

• KMID: 2465054
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2019.58.4.339

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to investigate the distinctive features of bodily panic symptoms and the predisposing conditions in Korean patients with panic disorder.
METHODS
This was a retrospective chart review study and the data were collected from twelve university-affiliated hospitals in Korea. The patients selected met the diagnostic criteria for panic disorder, were older than 20 years of age, and had initially visited a psychiatry department. The assessments included the chief complaints related to bodily panic symptoms, recent stressors, recent history of alcohol and sleep problems, and time to visit an outpatient clinic.
RESULTS
A total of 814 participants were included in the study. The most commonly experienced symptoms were cardiovascular and respiratory symptoms, which were observed in 63.9% and 55.4% of participants, respectively. Just before the onset of a panic attack, 25.6% of participants experienced sleep-related problems. Episodic binge drinking was also frequently observed (13.2%) and was more prevalent in men than in women (22.6% vs. 4.9%, p<0.001). About 75% of participants experienced stressful life events just before panic onset. Work-related issues were more prevalent in men than in women (22.0% vs. 13.4%, p=0.001). Family-related issues (4.8% vs. 14.1%, p<0.001) and conflict with a spouse or partner (4.0% vs.11.7%, p<0.001) were more prominent in women than in men.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that cardiovascular symptoms are the most common bodily panic symptoms in Korean patients. Our results suggest that a substantial portion of the Korean patients experienced stressful life events, sleep problems, and/or episodic binge drinking just before the onset of panic disorder.

Keyword

Panic disorder; Korean patients; Bodily panic symptom; Stressful life event

MeSH Terms

Ambulatory Care Facilities
Binge Drinking
Female
Humans
Korea
Male
Panic Disorder*
Panic*
Retrospective Studies
Spouses

Figure

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  Fig. 1 The chief complaints of panic attack reported by the subjects (n=814).

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  Fig. 2 Stressors prior to the onset of first panic attack (n=814).

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