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Hyperventilation: Is It a Cause of Panic Attacks?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

George Hibbert  and
David Pilsbury
George Hibbert*
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, The Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Headington, Oxford OX3 7JX
David Pilsbury
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, The Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Headington, Oxford OX3 7JX
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

During transcutaneous PCO2 (PtcCO2) monitoring of 15 freely ambulant patients suffering from panic attacks, all the patients experienced a typical attack. Seven were identified as hyperventilators, as PtcCO2 fell to abnormally low levels during the attack. This group could not be distinguished on the basis of either their usual symptoms of panic or the hyperventilation provocation test. There was no apparent association between absolute levels of PCO2 and the nature of symptoms. The anxiety ratings of hyperventilators were lower than those of non-hyperventilators. These data do not support the hypothesis that hyperventilation causes panic attacks or contributes to their severity. Hyperventilation may be better understood as a consequence of panic.

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Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 155 , Issue 6 , December 1989 , pp. 805 - 809
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1989 

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