MHPG and heart rate as correlates of nonresponse to drug therapy in panic disorder patients : A preliminary report

Little is known about biological predictors of treatment response in panic disorder (PD). In the present study heart rate, blood pressure, plasma cortisol and plasma MHPG were investigated at baseline in a sample of 44 PD patients as possible predictors for nonresponse to treatment. We used a strict...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychopharmacologia 1996-10, Vol.127 (4), p.353-358
Main Authors: SLAAP, B. R, VAN VLIET, I. M, WESTENBERG, H. G. M, DEN BOER, J. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Biomarkers - blood
Blood Pressure - drug effects
Double-Blind Method
Female
Fluvoxamine - therapeutic use
Heart Rate - drug effects
Humans
Hydrocortisone - blood
Male
Medical sciences
Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol - blood
Middle Aged
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Neuropharmacology
Panic Disorder - diagnosis
Panic Disorder - drug therapy
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Piperidines - therapeutic use
Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease)
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Treatment Failure
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Summary:Little is known about biological predictors of treatment response in panic disorder (PD). In the present study heart rate, blood pressure, plasma cortisol and plasma MHPG were investigated at baseline in a sample of 44 PD patients as possible predictors for nonresponse to treatment. We used a strict definition of nonresponse to find patients who did not respond at all after 12 weeks of treatment with brofaromine or fluvoxamine. Patients were considered nonresponders when they fulfilled two criteria: they did not show a 50% reduction of agoraphobic avoidance and they still experienced panic attacks at endpoint. The variables that differed significantly between the groups were used to predict nonresponse to drug therapy. Using this strict definition of nonresponse, 15 patients (32.6%) were considered nonresponders. These patients were characterised by a higher plasma MHPG concentration and a higher heart rate at baseline. These variables were subsequently used to predict nonresponse.
ISSN:0033-3158
1432-2072
DOI:10.1007/s002130050097