Clinical Question : 1
FollowAn 18-year-old man had repeated episodes of breathlessness and palpitations lasting about 20 minutes and resolving gradually. There were no abnormal physical signs.
What is the most likely cause of these features?
- Drug abuse
- Panic disorder
- Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
- Personality disorder
- Thyrotoxicosis
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Drug abuse is unlikely, since the symptoms are quite short lived. We would expect other symptoms such as GI disturbance, headaches or hypertension to accompany a variety of drug abuse causes.
Paroxysmal SVT would start and stop suddenly, not gradually.
Personality disorder and thyrotoxicosis would both be expected to lead to symptoms of longer duration with other associated symptoms.
This leaves ‘panic disorder’ as the most likely diagnosis.
My answer would be panic attack. SVT the onset and offset are spontaneous, drug abuse will have some physical findings, thyrotoxicosis will have persistent tachycardia.
Mine is also same i.e panic attack. same reasons
Correct!
Drug abuse is unlikely, since the symptoms are quite short lived. We would expect other symptoms such as GI disturbance, headaches or hypertension to accompany a variety of drug abuse causes.
Paroxysmal SVT would start and stop suddenly, not gradually.
Personality disorder and thyrotoxicosis would both be expected to lead to symptoms of longer duration with other associated symptoms.
This leaves ‘panic disorder’ as the most likely diagnosis.
needs more explanation