The Burden of Agoraphobia in Worsening Quality of Life in a Community Survey in Italy

OBJECTIVE: Current nosology redefined agoraphobia as an autonomous diagnosis distinct from panic disorder. We investigated the lifetime prevalence of agoraphobia, its association with other mental disorders, and its impact on the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). METHODS: Community survey in 2,338 randomly selected adult subjects. Participants were interviewed with the Advanced Neuropsychiatric Tools and Assessment Schedule (ANTAS), administered by clinicians. The diagnoses were based on the ICD-10 criteria. The Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) was used to quantify HR-QoL. RESULTS: In the sample, 35 subjects met the criteria for agoraphobia (1.5%), with greater prevalence among women (2.0%) than men (0.9%): odds ratio (OR) 2.23; 95% CI: 1.0-5–2. Agoraphobia was more often seen among those with (n=26; 1.1%) than without (n=9; 0.4%) panic disorder: OR=8.3; 2.9–24.4. Co-morbidity with other mental disorders was substantial. The mean score of SF-12 in people with agoraphobia was 35.2±7.8, with similar levels of HR-QoL in people with (35.3±7.9) or without (34.8±7.3) panic disorder: ANOVA: F(1;33)=0.0; p=1.00. CONCLUSION: One out of seventy people may suffer from agoraphobia in their lifetime. The attributable burden in terms of HR-QoL is substantial and comparable to the one observed for chronic mental disorders such as major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.