Asthma And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Linked
November 16, 2007
For the first time, a study has linked asthma with post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) among adults in the community. The study of male twins who were
veterans of the Vietnam era suggests that the association between asthma and
PTSD is not primarily explained by common genetic influences.
The study included 3,065 male twin pairs, who had lived together in childhood,
and who had both served on active military duty during the Vietnam War. The
study found that among all twins, those who suffered from the most PTSD symptoms
were 2.3 times as likely to have asthma compared with those who suffered from
the least PTSD symptoms.
The research was published in the first issue for November 2007 of the American Journal
of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American
Thoracic Society.
The study included both monozygotic (identical) twins, who share all the same
genetic material, and dizygotic (fraternal) twins, who share only half of the
same genetic material. "If there had been a strong genetic component to the
link between asthma and PTSD, the results between these two types of twins would
have been different, but we didn't find substantial differences between the
two," said lead researcher Renee D. Goodwin, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant
Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia
University in New York City.
Several other studies have found a relationship between asthma and other anxiety
disorders, Dr. Goodwin noted. This new research also confirmed previous findings
that linked asthma with a higher risk of depression. "No one knows the
reason for the association between asthma and mental disorders," she said.
"Asthma could increase the risk of anxiety disorders, or anxiety disorders
might cause asthma, or there could be common risk factors for both asthma and
anxiety disorders. Our study found the association between asthma and PTSD does
not appear to be primarily due to a common genetic predisposition."
The researchers found the association between asthma and PTSD existed even after
they took into account factors such as cigarette smoking, obesity and
socioeconomic status, all of which are associated with both anxiety disorders
and asthma.
"It is conceivable that traumatic stress, which has been associated with
compromised immune functioning, leads to increased vulnerability to
immune-system-related diseases, including asthma," Dr. Goodwin and
colleagues wrote. "Alternatively, it may be that having asthma places
adults at increased risk for PTSD as it increases the likelihood that they will
be exposed to a traumatic situation because they have a life-threatening chronic
medical condition."
The findings suggest that a person with asthma who experiences a traumatic event
may benefit from seeking professional help, because they could be more
vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress disorder, Dr. Goodwin said.
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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Source: Suzy Martin
American Thoracic Society
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
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