Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 1997 Mar;20(3):187-94.
doi: 10.1002/clc.4960200303.

Unexplained chest pain: when is it panic disorder?

R P Fleet  1 , B D Beitman
Affiliations
Review

Unexplained chest pain: when is it panic disorder?

R P Fleet et al. Clin Cardiol. 1997 Mar.

Abstract

Noncardiac chest pain is a common costly phenomenon in the cardiology setting. Recent research suggests that panic disorder, a highly distressful yet treatable anxiety disorder, occurs in a significant proportion of noncardiac chest pain patients. This article reviews research on the prevalence of panic disorder in patients seen in cardiology settings for unexplained chest pain. Financial, psychosocial, and historical aspects of noncardiac chest pain are described. Panic disorder and the potential consequences of its nonrecognition by physicians are examined. Current psychological and pharmacologic treatments are reviewed. Recommendations on the management of panic patients in the cardiology setting are provided.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Karlson BW, Herlitz J, Pettersson P, Ekvall H‐E, Hjalmarson Å: Patients admitted to the emergency room with symptoms indicative of acute myocardial infarction. J Intern Med 1991; 230: 251–258. - PubMed
    1. Kroenke K, Mangelsdorff AD: Common symptoms in ambulatory care: Incidence, evaluation, therapy and outcome. Am J Med 1989; 86: 262–266. - PubMed
    1. Lee TH, Cook EF, Weisberg M, Sargent RK, Wilson C, Goldman L: Acute chest pain in the emergency room. Identification and examination of low‐risk patients. Arch Intern Med 1985; 145: 65–69. - PubMed
    1. Goldman L, Weinberg M, Weisberg M: A computer‐derived protocol to aid in the diagnosis of emergency room patients with acute chest pain. N Engl J Med 1982; 307: 588–596. - PubMed
    1. Lewis WR, Amsterdam EA: Utility and safety of immediate exercise testing of low‐risk patients admitted to the hospital for suspected acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol 1994; 74: 987–990. - PubMed