A good time to panic? Premorbid and postmorbid panic disorder in heart failure affects cardiac and psychiatric cause admissions.

OBJECTIVE

The authors sought to identify characteristics associated with premorbid and postmorbid panic disorder onset in relation to heart failure (HF) onset, and examine the effect on unplanned hospital admissions.

METHODS

In a two-stage screening process, 404 HF patients admitted to three hospitals in South Australia were referred for structured psychiatric interview when any of the following four criteria were met: (a) Patient Health Questionnaire≥10; (b) Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire≥7); (c) positive response to one-item panic attack screener; (d) or evidence of suicidality.

RESULTS

A total of 73 referred HF patients (age 60.6±13.4, 47.9% female) were classified into three groups: premorbid panic disorder (27.4%), postmorbid panic disorder (24.7%), and no panic disorder (47.9%). Postmorbid panic disorder was associated with more psychiatric admissions and longer hospital stay in the 6 months prior to the index psychiatric assessment, and also in the 6 months after the index psychiatric assessment (all p<.05 unadjusted). In sensitivity analysis, years since panic disorder onset were associated with longer cardiac length of stay (β=.34, p=.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Panic disorder onset in relation to HF diagnosis was associated with discrete patterns of hospital admissions for cardiac and psychiatric causes.