Panic attacks, or panic disorders, are recurrent short episodes of acute distress. Some sufferers may be mentally confused and fear impending death. Initially these attacks tend to occur unexpectedly but, if recurrent, they often become associated with certain places such as a con?ned space (lift) or among crowds. Symptoms include a feeling of breathing diffculties, including overbreathing, PALPITATION, dizziness, sweating, faintness and pains in the chest. Attacks are usually short (a few minutes) but not often associated with physical illness, although victims may have an anxiety disorder or PHOBIA. If troublesome or disabling, attacks can be treated symptomatically with short-term ANXIOLYTICS or on a long-term basis with BEHAVIOUR THERAPY.... panic attacks
Episodes of transient ISCHAEMIA of some part of the cerebral hemispheres or the brain stem (see BRAIN) lasting anything from a few minutes to several hours and followed by complete recovery. By de?nition, the ischaemic episode must be less than 24 hours. These episodes may be isolated or they may occur several times in a day. The cause is ATHEROMA of the carotid or vertebral arteries (see ARTERIES, DISEASES OF) and the embolisation (see EMBOLISM) of PLATELETS or CHOLESTEROL. These attacks present with strokes (see STROKE) that rapidly recover.... transient ischaemic attacks or episodes (tia, tie)