HealthDay (12/12, Preidt) reported that, after analyzing "the medical records of almost 58,000 adults diagnosed with panic disorder/attacks and more than 347,000 adults without the condition," researchers writing in the Dec. 11 issue of the European Heart Journal concluded that "adults who have panic disorder or panic attacks have an increased risk of heart attacks and heart disease, but not heart-related deaths."

Analysis found that "people who were younger than 50 when first diagnosed with panic disorder/attacks were 38 percent more likely to have a heart attack and 44 percent more likely to develop heart disease than those in the general population." Meanwhile, "people who were over age 50 when diagnosed with panic disorder/attacks had an 11 percent increased risk of heart disease."

The study further suggests "that adults of all ages diagnosed with panic disorder/attacks had a 24 percent lower risk of death from heart disease than those in the general population."