Organic and Hyperventilatory Causes of Anxiety-type Symptoms

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Abstract
In treating anxiety and phobic disorders it is helpful to be aware of physical illnesses that can present with anxiety-type features. This paper discusses a number of organic conditions whose presenting features could be mistaken for an anxiety state, viz. hyperthyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, hypoparathyroidism, phaeochromocytoma, hypoglycaemia, mitral valve prolapse, paroxysmal tachycardia, temporal lobe epilepsy, caffeinism, and food and chemical allergy. Hyperventilation is also discussed since it is an important but frequently neglected mechanism in many cases of anxiety and phobia.