Symptom profiles of natural and laboratory panic attacks

Background: Little accurate information is available about the symptomatology of real-life panic attacks and about how well they are reproduced by an experimental model such as the 35% CO2 challenge. Method: Real-life panic symptoms were assessed in a group of 67 panic disorder patients, using daily life monitoring. Panic symptoms elicited by a 35% CO2 challenge were assessed in 61 panic disorder patients, and their frequency was compared with the real-life symptoms. Results: The most frequent real-life symptoms were palpitations, dizziness and trembling. The 35% CO2 challenge reproduced well the majority of real-life symptoms. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the 35% CO2 challenge is a marker for spontaneous panic attacks, which are considered the core of panic disorder.