ABSTRACT
Serum plasma total cholesterol levels were measured in 85 male or female outpatients with panic disorder (PD; N=41), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; N=23) and major depression (MD; N=21) according to DSM-IV criteria. All the patients had a mean cholesterol level within the normal range; males (N=22) and females (N=63) had approximately the same serum cholesterol levels (p > .05). No significant differences in cholesterol levels emerged between PD, GAD and MD patient groups. Both female PD and female GAD subjects had a mean cholesterol level similar to their male counterparts (p>.05). It is concluded that both Hayward and colleagues and Bajwa et al. findings could not be replicated by our study.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Anxiety Disorders/metabolism , Cholesterol/blood , Depression/metabolism , Panic Disorder/metabolism , Analysis of Variance , Anxiety Disorders/blood , Cholesterol/metabolism , Depression/blood , Panic Disorder/bloodABSTRACT
Secretion curves for prolactin, cortisol, TSH, and GH from a 37-year old woman with dysthymia and panic disorder with agoraphobia were determined one day prior to (day I), and during a panic attack (day II) associated with an oral dose of 60 mg dl-fenfluramine, a drug known to increase anticipatory anxiety. The increased cortisol secretion observed is discussed in relation to the hormonal correlates of anxiety and the possible role of depresion, dl-fenfluramine, and serotonergic receptor sensitivity.