Progesterone Receptor Gene Polymorphism in Panic Disorder: Associations with Agoraphobia and Respiratory Subtype of Panic Disorder

Objective: A number of different gene polymorphisms have been found to be involved in the predisposition to development of panic disorder (PD). Previous studies showed that progesterone might play an important role in the psychophysiology of PD. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between two different progesterone receptor gene polymorphisms and agoraphobia, nocturnal panic attacks, and respiratory subtype of PD. Methods: Ninety-eight patients diagnosed with PD and 129 healthy controls participated in the study. Patients with PD were divided into two groups on the basis of their symptom profile: respiratory and nonrespiratory subtypes. Seventy-six of 98 patients with PD (79.6%) were in respiratory subtype (RS) of PD. Results: The association between G331A polymorphism and PD in both sexes was significant (p=0.02; OR=2.291; CI=1.141-4.6). PROGINS Alu gene polymorphism was associated with PD in women (p=0.036; OR=0,46; CI=0,219-0.951. It has been also found an assocaition between PROGINS Alu polymorphism and agoraphobia (p=0.002; OR=3.8; CI=1.65-8.76). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the progesterone receptor gene polymorphism might be a susceptibility factor for PD.