Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology

Panic disorder patient whose symptoms begin with allergic rhinitis: case report

Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2014; 24: Supplement S326-S326
Read: 1055 Published: 17 February 2021

Panic disorder is a psychiatric disease characterized by unexpected panic attacks, anticipatory anxiety and changes in behavior such as avoiding. It may be accompanied by numerous somatic pathologies and it can imitate plenty of other somatic pathologies. In this case report, a patient with panic disorder began in the form of allergic rhinitis was evaluated. A 40-year-old married male patient has-been receiving treatment for allergic rhinitis ongoing for nearly two years. He was admitted to the outpatient clinic of Otorhinolaryngology because of complaints such as difficulty in breathing, intense anxiety, restlessness, feeling like dying. He was operated with the diagnosis of nasal septum deviation. However, his complaints continued to increase and he was proposed to apply to the psychiatry polyclinic. The irregular treatment history because of similar complaints was learned in the patient’s anamnesis. The physical neurologic examination was unremarkable. Biochemical tests (complete blood count, fasting blood glucose, thyroid function and sedimentation) were within normal limits. In the mental examination; he was acting nervous in the communicating, speech and tone of voice was dysphoric, his affect was impaired in the style of distress, the ideas that he would die at any moment were dominant in the content of the thought. Neurovegetative symptoms like sweating and palpitations were present in the psychophysiological activities. After the psychiatric interviews, patient was diagnosed “panic disorder” according to DSM-IV. Hamilton Anxiety scale score was 26. Patient was using loratadine 10 mg/day since the beginning of the disease. Citalopram 20 mg/day treatment was begun gradually. The patient’s symptoms had declined a month later. Hamilton Anxiety scale score was 10. Patient has been followed for six months and still he has been in remission with anti-allergy and psychiatric treatment. Panic disorder which have a varied symptomatology such as palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, feeling of choking, breathlessness, chest pain, chest discomfort, nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, unsteadiness, drowsiness, derealization, depersonalization, fear of losing control, fear of death, paresthesias, hot şushes is a mental condition that should be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis of various medical diseases. Onset form of the disease as allergic rhinitis and to accompany of panic attacks with rhinitis table were thought to be interesting in this case.

EISSN 2475-0581