Differential Diagnosis for Feeling of Impending Doom and Night Sweats
Single Most Likely Diagnosis
- Anxiety Disorder: The feeling of impending doom is a classic symptom of anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder. Night sweats can also be associated with anxiety due to the body's stress response. This diagnosis is likely due to the direct correlation between the symptoms described and the common manifestations of anxiety disorders.
Other Likely Diagnoses
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Patients with PTSD often experience night sweats and a sense of impending doom as part of their symptomatology, related to flashbacks or nightmares about traumatic events.
- Hyperthyroidism: This condition can cause anxiety, night sweats, and a general feeling of unease or impending doom due to the excessive production of thyroid hormones.
- Sleep Disorders: Certain sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, can lead to night sweats and possibly a feeling of anxiety or doom due to poor sleep quality.
Do Not Miss Diagnoses
- Cardiac Conditions (e.g., Myocardial Infarction): A feeling of impending doom (angor animus) can be a symptom of a heart attack, especially in women. Night sweats can also occur due to the stress response associated with cardiac events.
- Pulmonary Embolism: This condition can cause sudden onset of anxiety and a feeling of impending doom, along with other symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain.
- Neurological Conditions (e.g., Meningitis, Encephalitis): Infections of the brain and meninges can present with a wide range of symptoms, including severe anxiety, night sweats, and a feeling of doom.
Rare Diagnoses
- Pheochromocytoma: A rare tumor of the adrenal gland that can cause episodes of severe anxiety, sweating (including night sweats), and a feeling of impending doom due to the excessive release of catecholamines.
- Neurodegenerative Diseases (e.g., Early Stages of Dementia): In rare cases, the early stages of certain neurodegenerative diseases can present with anxiety and unusual perceptions, including a feeling of impending doom.
- Autoimmune Disorders (e.g., Lupus): Systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune disorders can have a wide range of symptoms, including anxiety, night sweats, and a general feeling of being unwell, which might be interpreted as a feeling of impending doom.