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I Have A 19 Year Old Son Who Has Symptoms Of A Panic Attack But I Don't Believe He Is Panicking. His Echo Cardiogram Came Back Fine And We Are Waiting For An Appt With A Cardiologist. His Heart Rate Gets To 174 Beats A Min Then When The Symptoms Subside He Is Exhausted. Could This Be A Thyroid Issue?
Question: I have a 19 year old son who has symptoms of a panic attack but I don't believe he is panicking. His echo cardiogram came back fine and we are waiting for an appt with a cardiologist. His heart rate gets to 174 beats a min then when the symptoms subside he is exhausted. Could this be a thyroid issue?
Brief Answer:
not very likely
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I've gone through your query and I believe that in your son's case the thyroid is not the most likely cause. The first thing that's against this assumption is the episodic nature of the attacks. In thyroid disease, we would expect a constantly high heart rate.
Besides that thyroid disease does not usually present with 'panic attacks'. It may present with serious tachycardia though and despite the low chances for it to be the main cause, checking the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is necessary in such cases.
An arrhythmia is the first thing to investigate in such cases. There are certain arrhythmias that may occur to young individuals (like Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) in an episodic fashion. If his ECG was normal - only supraventricular tachycardia - during the attack then arrhythmias are unlikely - this is for the cardiologist to evaluate.
If all else is normal (including his complete blood count, electrolytes, urea, creatinine) then a panic attack would be the most likely explanation for his symptoms.
So in conclusion, although I don't believe that the thyroid is the main cause in your son's case, checking the TSH is necessary along with a basic biochemical panel and a complete blood count. The cardiologist should investigate for arrhythmias and if everything seems to be normal, the diagnosis of a panic attack would seem very likely.
I hope my suggestions are helpful to you! Please let me know if you need further assistance.
Kind Regards!
not very likely
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I've gone through your query and I believe that in your son's case the thyroid is not the most likely cause. The first thing that's against this assumption is the episodic nature of the attacks. In thyroid disease, we would expect a constantly high heart rate.
Besides that thyroid disease does not usually present with 'panic attacks'. It may present with serious tachycardia though and despite the low chances for it to be the main cause, checking the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is necessary in such cases.
An arrhythmia is the first thing to investigate in such cases. There are certain arrhythmias that may occur to young individuals (like Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) in an episodic fashion. If his ECG was normal - only supraventricular tachycardia - during the attack then arrhythmias are unlikely - this is for the cardiologist to evaluate.
If all else is normal (including his complete blood count, electrolytes, urea, creatinine) then a panic attack would be the most likely explanation for his symptoms.
So in conclusion, although I don't believe that the thyroid is the main cause in your son's case, checking the TSH is necessary along with a basic biochemical panel and a complete blood count. The cardiologist should investigate for arrhythmias and if everything seems to be normal, the diagnosis of a panic attack would seem very likely.
I hope my suggestions are helpful to you! Please let me know if you need further assistance.
Kind Regards!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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