Anxiety Disorders

Risk

  • Lifetime prevalence approximately 30% in USA

  • Gender: Female (2× more likely compared with male)

  • Environmental: Traumatic or stressful events

  • Age: Often develop in childhood and early adulthood; however, may occur any time after a stressful event

  • Medical conditions: Chronic mental or physical illness

  • Genetics: Family psychiatric history

Perioperative Risks

  • Generalized anxiety disorder leads to chronic autonomic hyperactivity with increased risks for CAD and Htn.

  • Uncontrolled anxiety and fear may predispose pts to greater risk for acute postop pain and postop N/V.

  • Increased risk of periop complications due to impaired response to stress.

Perioperative Risks

  • Generalized anxiety disorder leads to chronic autonomic hyperactivity with increased risks for CAD and Htn.

  • Uncontrolled anxiety and fear may predispose pts to greater risk for acute postop pain and postop N/V.

  • Increased risk of periop complications due to impaired response to stress.

Worry About

  • Inadequately treated anxiety disorders affecting pt’s decision-making and communication capacities, which may complicate medical courses

  • Altered drug anesthetic requirements and drug metabolisms associated with psychiatric medications

  • Systemic side effects from psychiatric medications

  • Potential medication interactions with anesthetics

  • Signs/symptoms may overlap with other medical conditions (e.g., hyperparathyroidism) and drug-induced causes (e.g., alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, withdrawal), which could be life-threatening.

Overview

  • Types

    • Generalized anxiety disorder

    • Panic disorder

    • Social anxiety disorder

    • Specific phobias

    • PTSD

    • OCD

  • Characterized by excessive apprehension, physical tension, physiologic symptoms, dissociative anxiety, and fear leading to significant distress or impairment

  • Comorbidity with major depression (60%), other mental disorders, and substance abuse

  • Associated with a variety of chronic medical conditions

Etiology

  • Genetics: ↑ norepinephrine metabolites, ↓ GABA level, ↓ postsynaptic alpha-2 adrenergic receptor sensitivity, and ↓ benzodiazepine binding sites on platelets and lymphocytes; altered central processing involving amygdala and nuclei of basolateral complex that play central roles in fear and anxiety responses

  • Stress

  • Drugs: Caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and withdrawals

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Sep 1, 2018 | Posted by in ANESTHESIA | Comments Off on Anxiety Disorders

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