LONDON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Panic attacks have been linked to higher risk of heart attack and heart disease, especially in younger people, British researchers said.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found that people who were younger than age 50 when first diagnosed had a significantly higher risk of subsequent heart attacks, or myocardial infarctions, but this was not the case in older people.
The study found there was a significantly higher incidence of subsequent coronary heart disease in people diagnosed with panic attacks/disorder at all ages, but this was more marked in those under age 50.
However, the research also showed that the risk of dying from coronary heart disease was actually reduced among people of all ages who had been diagnosed with panic attacks/disorder.
The study involved 404,654 people in Britain selected from a primary care population that can be broadly generalized to other countries with a similar socio-demographic structure.
"Not much is known about the relationship between panic disorder and cardiac disease," study leader Dr. Kate Walters of University College London said in a statement. "The symptoms of panic attacks can closely mimic those of a heart attack or acute cardiac disease, and it seems that there may be a complex relationship between them."
