Biomedical subjects

S Schmidt-Traub

Publications and source records attributed to S Schmidt-Traub.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1997

The psychoimmunological association of panic disorder and allergic reaction.

During treatment of out-patients suffering from DSM-III R panic disorder (PD) with and without agoraphobia, our attention was drawn to a high frequency of comorbid allergic reactions. In a controlled study, the prevalence of immediate type I reactions was determined in panic patients. Conversely, the prevalence of psychological disorders was recorded among allergic patients. Altogether, 79 out-patients with PD, 100 type I allergic out-patients and 66 controls underwent structured clinical interviews and tests for allergies. Of the patients suffering from PD, 70 per cent displayed type I immediate reactions (controls = 29 per cent). Vasodilatation (often approaching circulation collapse) is a frequently occurring allergic syndrome which is a very dramatic experience. Fifty per cent of the allergic patients showed mild to severe psychological disturbances (controls = 25 per cent); and 16 per cent had problems requiring treatment (controls = 9 per cent). Ten per cent of the allergic patients revealed PD (controls = 2 per cent). The association between PD and allergic (vasomotor) reactions was found to be highly significant. A functional relationship is hypothesized in terms of conditioning cognitive and vasomotor interactions during autonomic arousal.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

[The psychoimmunological network og panic disorders, agoraphobia and allergic reactions].

While treating panic and agoraphobia patients with behaviour therapy, a high frequency of allergic reaction of the IgE-mediated type I was observed. Panic disorder, agoraphobia, allergic disorder, and vasomotor reactions are briefly discussed in the framework of psycho-endocrino-immunological research. A pilot study had shown a high correlation between panic disorder with and without agoraphobia and allergic reaction. A controlled study was then planned to test the hypothesized psychoimmunological relationship. 100 allergic patients, 79 panic/agoraphobic patients, and 66 controls underwent psychodiagnostic and allergic screening. 70% of the anxiety patients responded to test allergens with IgE-mediated type-I immediate reactions in comparison to 28% of the control persons. Another 15% of the panic patients reacted to nickle compound with type-IV delayed skin reactions (7% of the controls). Conversely, 10% of the allergic patients suffered from panic disorder (45% had experienced panic attacks) in contrast to 2% of the controls (24% of these reported panic attacks). The relative risk for allergic patients to develop panic disorder with and without agoraphobia is obviously five times as high as for controls. With this assumption of a psychoimmunological preparedness in mind, a behavioural medical diagnostic and therapeutic concept seems more adequate in coping both with panic/agoraphobia and allergic disorder.

Agoraphobia↗

PubMed1992

[Psychoimmunologic correlation between allergies, panic and agoraphobia].

The present behavioral medical paper is a contribution to basic research in neuroimmunology. The relationship of panic/agoraphobia and allergy/anaphylaxis (IgE-mediated immediate reaction) is demonstrated and discussed with specific consideration of vasomotor reactions, tachycardia and hyperventilation in panic patients and allergies with anaphylactic reactions. The vegetative symptoms of panic reactions and anaphylaxis showed a high correlative correspondence. 74% of 23 panic and/or agoraphobia patients in a pretest to an epidemiologic study turned out to have an allergic illness that needed treatment; but there were no more anxiety disorders disclosed in 50 allergic patients than in the general population according to expectancies found in epidemiologic publications. If these data are confirmed then panic and agoraphobia cannot be seen as merely a cognitive-emotional event, but also as a further kind of allergic disease with genetic, ecological, psychological and social determinants; they would then have to be diagnosed as psychoimmunological disturbances and treated with behavior medicine (preferably with exposition and immunotherapy or hyposensitization). Anxiety therapies would improve qualitatively and could be cut down in duration.

Agoraphobia↗

PubMed1991

[Anxiety and immunologic disorder: phobia, generalized anxiety syndrome and panic attacks from the psychoimmunologic viewpoint with the intention of generating hypotheses].

From a behaviour therapist's viewpoint anxiety is perceived in a framework expanded to the psycho-neuro-immunological dimension. After describing phobic anxieties, cognitive mechanisms, and allergic-immunological disturbances, clinical experience won from 34 phobic patients treated with behavior therapy is demonstrated. 31 of these proved to be poly-allergic. A comparison of both physiological fear and allergic symptoms lets a relationship seem obvious between anaphylactic or collapse inclination and psychological fear reaction. Mediated by cognitive variables persons with emphatic perception may develop an association between anxiety and allergic processes with high probability, the reciprocal influence of which can increase with vehemence. Comprehensive psychologic-medical diagnostic and therapeutic measures could improve the effectivity of therapy as well as anxious patients' "compliance" and "coping skills".

Adult↗