Alcohol use disorders in relatives of patients with panic disorder.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to use data from a family study of anxiety disorders to examine the familial association between alcohol use disorders and panic disorder (PD), controlling for alcohol use disorders in the proband.


METHODS
Data from a family study of anxiety disorders were used to compare rates of alcohol use disorders in the relatives of 3 proband groups (PD with lifetime alcohol use disorders, PD without lifetime alcohol use disorders, and not-ill controls).


RESULTS
There was a significantly higher rate (12%) of alcohol use disorders among the relatives of PD probands compared with relatives of controls (5%), even in the absence of alcohol use disorders in the proband and after adjusting for differences in sociodemographic characteristics and lifetime drug use disorders (chi2 = 5.4; df = 1; P = .02). Anxiety symptoms were more frequent among the male relatives of panic probands who received an alcohol diagnosis, compared with those who did not have alcohol use disorders (10/25 vs 22/111; chi2 = 4.6; df = 1; P = .03). A similar pattern was found in women (8/11 vs 63/156; chi2 = 4.4; df = 1; P = .036).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest a familial association between PD and alcohol use disorders. Future studies with more refined alcohol diagnoses are needed to replicate and investigate the mechanism of this association.
Goodwin
Renee D
RD
Anxiety Genetics Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA. rdg66@columbia.edu
Lipsitz
Joshua D
JD
Chapman
Tim F
TF
Mannuzza
Salvatore
S
Klein
Donald F
DF
Fyer
Abby J
AJ
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*