[Clinical, pathogenetic and therapeutic aspects of panic disorder in patients with chronic alcoholism (review)].

Comorbid diagnosis of panic disorder and alcoholism is common in clinical practice. There are several theories that explained the comorbidity but no one of them has been completely proved. Sequence of disease manifestation in patients with comorbid pathologies remains unclear but different combinations may exist. Many studies suggest that anxiety disorders precede the development of alcoholism. Moreover, the prospective research has revealed that panic disorder is a highly significant predictor of alcoholism. The effectiveness of therapy was shown to be several times lower in the presence of comorbid anxiety disorders. At the same time, the problems of adequate therapy of patients with comorbid pathology remain unsolved.