Panic attacks appear to be common among postmenopausal women and may be associated with stressful life events, medical illness and functional impairment, according to an article in the September 22nd issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine.

According to the article, although panic attacks and panic disorder are more common in women than in men, little is known about the frequency of panic attacks after menopause. In the current study, Jordan W. Smoller, M.D., Sc.D., and his American colleagues surveyed a group of women participating in the comprehensive Women's Health Initiative trial to determine the prevalence of panic attacks.

The researchers surveyed 3,369 postmenopausal women who enrolled in the Myocardial Ischemia and Migraine Study (a smaller study that was part of the Initiative) between December 1, 1997 and November 30, 2000. The women were 50 to 79 years old at baseline and completed questionnaires about the occurrence of panic attacks and migraine headaches in the previous 6 months. Based on responses to the questionnaire, a full blown panic attack was defined as a report of an attack of sudden fear, anxiety, or extreme discomfort accompanied by 4 or more panic symptoms; a limited-symptom panic attack was defined as a full-blown panic attack except that fewer than 4 panic symptoms were indicated.

Panic attacks were reported by 17.9 percent of women (full-blown attacks, 9.8 percent; limited-symptom attacks, 8.1 percent). Full-blown panic attacks were more common in women with a history of migraine, emphysema, cardiovascular disease, chest pain, and symptoms of depression. Full-blown attacks were also associated with negative life events during the previous year (such as deaths, illness, etc.). However, there was no significant association with self-reported use of postmenopausal hormone therapy.

"Panic attacks were associated with younger age, lower income, recent negative life events, a history of medical comorbidity (especially cardiopulmonary disease, thyroid problems, and migraine headache), and depression as well as self-reported limitations in social functioning," the authors noted.