Forskning

August 2, 2011

Caffeine challenge test and panic disorder: a systematic literature review

M M Vilarim et al, Caffeine challenge test and panic disorder: a systematic literature review, Expert Reviews Neurotherapy, 2011, Volume 11 (8).

This systematic review aimed to examine the results of studies that have investigated the induction of panic attacks and/or the anxiogenic effect of the caffeine challenge test in patients with panic disorder. The literature search was performed in PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saude and the ISI Web of Knowledge. The words used for the search were caffeine, caffeine challenge test, panic disorder, panic attacks and anxiety disorder. In total, eight randomized, double-blind studies were selected where caffeine was administered orally, and none of them controlled for confounding factors in the analysis. The percentage of loss during the follow-up ranged between 14.3% and 73.1%. The eight studies all showed a positive association between caffeine and anxiogenic effects and/or panic disorder.