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Colon Motility During a Panic Attack

From the Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Paul E. Hyman, MD, Department of Pediatrics, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160. E-mail: phyman{at}kumc.edu

Objective: To document the temporal relationship between a panic attack and high amplitude propagating contractions.

Methods: Colon manometry was used to discriminate between functional defecation problems and colon neuromuscular disease. By chance, the patent developed a panic attack during the test session.

Results: Coincident with the panic attack, there was a continuous series of high amplitude propagating contractions. There were 15 high amplitude propagating contractions over 45 minutes, initially at a rate of 4 per 10 minutes, gradually slowing to 1.5 per 10 minutes.

Conclusions: These data may explain the cause for gastrointestinal distress and diarrhea in some patients with panic attacks.

Key Words: colon manometry • high amplitude propagating contraction • corticotropin releasing factor

Abbreviations: HAPC = high amplitude propagating contraction; CRF = corticotropin releasing factor.