Aims: The potential association between oxytocin (OXT) plasma levels and clinical and hormonal parameters in panic disorder (PD) especially in its acute phase - has not been investigated as yet. This was the aim of this article.
Method: Twenty-four consecutively-referred, acutely-ill, medication-free PD patients with (PDA, N = 21) or without agoraphobia, moreover without comorbidities, completed the following clinical measures: Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS); Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ); Mobility Inventory-Alone subscale (MI-alone); and number of panic attacks during last 21 d (PA21d). Plasma levels of OXT, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol were evaluated.
Results: OXT levels were significantly, negatively associated with the HARS scores (r= -0.59 p=.002) and weakly, negatively correlated with the ACQ scores (r = -0.403 p=.051). No significant correlations were traced between OXT levels and PA21d, MI-alone, ACTH, and cortisol.
Conclusion: In acutely-ill, medication-free PD patients, OXT plasma levels may be relevant to the severity of their 'general' anxiety symptoms, but not to the 'specific' panic psychopathology.
Keywords: Panic disorder; adrenocorticotropic hormone; cortisol; oxytocin; psychopathology.