Post-Traumatic
Stress Boosts Heart Disease Risk
Vietnam
Veterans Studied
Combat
veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are six
times more likely to suffer a heart attack than other vets, new research
suggests.
The
findings "give people another risk factor that has to be considered,"
just like smoking or high blood pressure, says lead researcher Dr. Joseph
Boscarino, a senior scientist at the New York Academy of Medicine.
"This
is a pretty powerful indication that something is going on that puts
people at high risk," Dr. Boscarino says.
A Vietnam
combat veteran himself, Dr. Boscarino presented his findings at the
annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society
in Orlando, Fla.
While
the link between stress and heart disease may not seem surprising, Dr.
Boscarino's study is unusual because it examines what happened two decades
after a stressful event, in this case the Vietnam war.
"It's
really hard to do these studies because you can't get access to a population
20 years after these events occur," he says.
Stress
and Heart Disease Link
Before
he started examining veterans, Dr. Boscarino reviewed 12 studies that
together analyzed the experiences of more than 50,000 people exposed
to war, disasters, child abuse, and sexual assault. He found all the
research linked previous experience of stress to heart disease later
in life.
Then,
Dr. Boscarino analyzed the medical records of 2,490 Vietnam veterans
who took part in a national study in 1986. At the time of the study,
54 of the veterans suffered from PTSD.
By
examining their electrocardiograms for signs of cardiovascular disease,
Dr. Boscarino found those veterans were six times more likely to have
had a heart attack.
Dr.
Boscarino adjusted the findings to eliminate any effect from factors
such as alcohol abuse and smoking. And the men who suffered from the
worst cases of post-traumatic stress had even higher heart attack rates.
It is not
clear why lingering stress boosted the risk of heart attack. Dr. Boscarino
speculates the body's increased secretion of stress hormones may contribute
to clogged arteries.
The
link between stress and heart disease does not surprise Jim Schmidt,
chief operating officer of the Maryland-based Sidran Institute, which
helps people suffering from PTSD.
"It's
something that's been well known in the field, but has only been proven
sporadically," Schmidt says. "If you ask anybody who works with trauma
survivors, they're going to report an increase of physical symptoms
of all kinds.
"Your
body, like any machine, will wear out faster under stress than in a
relaxed state," Schmidt says.
Recognizing
Symptoms, Finding Help
Recovery
programs offer the best hope of beating the stress symptoms, Schmidt
says, but many sufferers do not seek help.
"Most
people who have post-traumatic stress disorder are undiagnosed," he
says. "They know they have these symptoms, which might be restlessness,
trouble sleeping, nightmares, and periods they cannot remember. But
most do not make the connection between those events and a prior
traumatic event."
Once
they seek counseling, however, the connection between the past and present
"clicks," Schmidt says, as they realize "this is happening because this
happened to me."
That,
he says, "is one of the early steps toward recovery, understanding that
the things happening to you are normal effects of exposure to trauma."
Always
consult your physician for more information.
Online
Resources
American
Psychological Association
American
Psychosomatic Society
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
National
Institute of Mental Health
National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
National
Library of Medicine
US
Department of Heath and Human Services
|
April 2004
Post-Traumatic
Stress Boosts Heart Disease Risk
Stress
and Heart Disease Link
Recognizing
Symptoms, Finding Help
Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Defined
Online
Resources
Other
Resources:
Find
a St. John's Mercy Physician
St.
John's Mercy Center for New Health Options
Eye
Health Information
St.
John's Mercy Classes and Programs
Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Defined
Post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that often follows
a terrifying physical or emotional event - causing the person who survived
the event to have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories, or
flashbacks, of the ordeal.
Persons with
PTSD often feel chronically, emotionally numb.
PTSD was first
brought to public attention by war veterans and was once referred to
as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue."
The likelihood
of developing PTSD depends on the severity and duration of the event,
as well as the person's nearness to it.
The event(s)
that triggers PTSD may be:
-
something
that occurred in the person's life
-
something
that occurred in the life of someone close to him or her
-
something
the person witnessed
Examples include:
-
serious
accidents (such as car or train wrecks)
-
natural
disasters (such as floods or earthquakes)
-
man-made
tragedies (such as bombings, a plane crash)
-
violent
personal attacks (such as a mugging, rape, torture, being held captive,
or kidnapping)
-
military
combat
-
abuse
in childhood
Persons with
PTSD experience extreme emotional, mental, and physical distress when
exposed to situations that remind them of the traumatic event.
Some may repeatedly
relive the trauma in the form of nightmares and disturbing recollections
during the day, and may also experience the following:
-
sleep
problems
-
depression
-
feeling
detached or numb
-
feeling
jittery or "on guard"
-
being
easily startled
-
loss of
interest in things they used to enjoy
-
trouble
feeling affectionate
-
feeling
irritable, more aggressive than before, or even violent
-
avoidance
of certain places or situations that bring back memories
The symptoms
of PTSD may resemble other psychiatric conditions. Always consult your
physician for a diagnosis.
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