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4 p.m. EST, Tues., Dec. 14, 1999
Contact: Meredith Meyer (313) 876-2882
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Study Shows Daily Smoking May Lead to Panic Attacks
For people who suffer panic attacks, the effects can be paralyzing. An unexplainable wave of nausea. Shortness of breath. A sudden, desperate fear that they are going to die.
While some people don't know what triggers their panic attacks, the answer may be found in their ashtray.
Smokers are two to four times more likely to suffer panic attacks, compared to people who have never smoked or have quit smoking, according to a Henry Ford Health System study.
In addition, people with lung disease are at even greater risk. They suffer panic attacks at six times the rate of nonsmokers.
The study, published in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, is the first-of-its-kind to demonstrate a causal relationship between smoking and panic attacks in the general population. The study's sample was drawn from the Epidemiologic Study of Young Adults -- 1,000 adults ages 21-30, and the National Comorbidity Survey -- 4,400 adults ages 15 to 54. The study did not find differences in the results for men and women.
A panic attack is defined as an episode in which at least four of the following 13 symptoms are present: shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitation, trembling, sweating, choking, nausea, depersonalization, numbness, flushes or chills, chest pain, fear of dying and fear of going crazy.
Naomi Breslau, Ph.D., principal investigator and director of research for the Department of Behavioral Services at Henry Ford Health System, offers several possible explanations for the relationship between smoking and panic attacks.
"Previous studies have suggested that nicotine and other smoke substances play a role in causing psychiatric disorders such as depression," Breslau said. "It is possible that nicotine also plays a role in triggering panic attacks."
She added: "The panic attack may be a psychological reaction by the brain. Or it may be triggered physiologically by the lungs. This study did not evaluate the causal mechanism, so additional research would be needed to support this."
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