Table 2. Possible Causes of Anxietya
| Medical Problem | Examples |
| aAdapted from Massie.[11] | |
| Poorly controlled pain | Insufficient or as-needed pain medications. |
| Abnormal metabolic states | Hypoxia, pulmonary embolus, sepsis, delirium, hypoglycemia, bleeding, coronary occlusion, or heart failure. |
| Hormone-secreting tumors | Pheochromocytoma, thyroid adenoma or carcinoma, parathyroid adenoma, corticotropin-producing tumors, and insulinoma. |
| Anxiety-producing drugs | Corticosteroids, neuroleptics used as antiemetics, thyroxine, bronchodilators, beta-adrenergic stimulants, antihistamines, and benzodiazepines (paradoxical reactions are often seen in older persons). |
| Anxiety-producing conditions | Substance withdrawal (from alcohol, opioids, or sedative-hypnotics). |
References
- Massie MJ: Anxiety, panic, and phobias. In: Holland JC, Rowland JH, eds.: Handbook of Psychooncology: Psychological Care of the Patient With Cancer. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1989, pp 300-9.
