ABSTRACT
Fear and anxiety play important roles in the everyday lives and in the survival of animals and humans. A renewed role for the catecholamines has been found in the pathogenesis of one form of essential hypertension and in the pathophysiology of an autoimmune disease, Graves’ disease. The biological function of fear and anxiety is adaptive—to alert the organism to a threat to its survival, and make it take appropriate action. Attempts to induce fear and anxiety in laboratory subjects have been made by the use of electrical shock or sparks of light, or contrived situations have been designed to make subjects fearful. Many symptoms of heart disease—arrhythmias, pain, and dyspnea—are associated with anxiety and fear. Danger and the fear it generates may also play a role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. The hyperventilation syndrome also has a varied, interesting, and rich pathophysiology which is relevant to the pathophysiology of anxiety.
