Estimation of lifetime risks and life expectancy of panic disorder in adults: An eleven-year nationwide cohort study in Taiwan

The sudden onset of panic disorder (PD) often appears with multiple life-threatening cardiovascular symptoms followed by high healthcare visiting rate of PD patients, which may be associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, there is currently no comprehensive research on life expectancy (LE) and loss of life expectancy (LLE) related to PD patients. Data were acquired from Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2019, to establish the study cohort and matched control group. We utilized a novel flexible semi-parametric method to extrapolate the LE and LLE, with uncertainty assessed via bootstrap resampling. A total of 176,803 newly diagnosed PD cases were included, with 40,457 (22.88%) having comorbid CVD and 7366 (4.17%) recorded deaths. During the 11-year follow-up, the difference in LLE (0.058 years) between the PD cohort and the reference group was negligible, just as it was for individuals with PD who had CVD (0.028 years). Accordingly, the overall lifetime LLE of PD presented 2.07 years after extrapolation. Meanwhile, female PD patients demonstrated a higher cumulative incidence rate (5.4% to 6.6%) when compared to male (3.2% to 3.7%). Similar LE and LLE between PD patients and the reference were revealed. Based on our results, we suggested that PD is manageable, and with relatively frequent medical care visits, CVD may be discovered for proper treatment in advance.