Article by Chaim Packer

Are panic attacks affecting you or someone you know? The odds are yes, and there’s probably a lot you don’t know about the incidence and seriousness of panic attacks. They are not just annoying and transient events, but a serious illness that affects millions of people and costs millions of dollars in medical treatment and lost productivity.

Did you know:

* Panic attacks strike approximately 10 percent of the population, or 2.4 million Americans each year.

* Panic attacks affect twice as many women as men. Low estrogen levels have been linked to panic attacks in women.

* Lack of assertiveness is common personality trait in people who suffer panic attacks. A passive style of communicating and interacting with others is often noted in panic attack sufferers and may even contribute to the development or onset of the disorder.

* Panic attacks can run in families, indicating that there may be a hereditary factor involved in susceptibility to this disorder. Studies of identical twins show a wide variance, however. If one twin has an anxiety disorder, the incidence of occurrence in the other twin was found to vary from 31 percent to 88 percent in different studies.

* Brain chemistry imbalances are also believed to cause panic attacks. Research studies have shown that some panic disorder patients lack an emotion-regulating protein in the brain.

* Panic attacks and panic disorder often start to occur in the late teens or early adult years.

* Panic attacks can be triggered major life stresses, such as the loss of a spouse or loved one or other significant life changes.

* Coffee, exercise, and medications can sometimes trigger panic attacks. A diet too high in refined sugar can also induce panic attacks in people with a tendency to them.

* Panic attacks are one of the most treatable mental disorders, but as many as 75 percent of panic attack sufferers are not properly diagnosed and fail to receive appropriate treatment, according to one research study.

* Untreated panic disorder can lead to other serious problems, including other anxiety illnesses such as phobias, alcohol and drug dependency, depression and suicide. It can interfere with the ability to carry out normal daily functions and lead to loss of employment, financial losses, and increased medical costs.

* Panic attacks are not fatal. However, the fear that they are experiencing a heart attack is one of the most commonly cited symptoms among panic attack victims. The racing pulse and smothering, choking feeling cause by shortness of breath lead many first-time sufferers to the emergency room and their doctors. This can be a wise precaution, in fact, because there are some underlying cardiac conditions that can trigger panic attacks.

* Panic attacks can also be caused or triggered by a number of other illnesses. Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis and mitral valve prolapse can cause

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