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.