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TUESDAY, July 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) – Working on clean-up teams after the September 11th terrorist attack took a heavy emotional toll on many first responders, and new research suggests that this could have Triggered Heart Problems
Those who developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) more than doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke compared to those who worked on the World Trade Center from New York but did not develop PTSD. study. About 20 percent of men and 26 percent of women who responded when the twin towers were attacked on September 11, 2001 developed PTSD, which is at least twice as fast as expected in the general population, according to researchers .
"The link of PTSD with heart attack and stroke should be taken into account when untrained first responders are sent to respond to disasters of different types," said the author lead of the study, Dr. Alfredo Morabia.
He is Professor of Epidemiology at the Barry Commoner Center of the City University of New York and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, both in New York
. Trade Center, first responders, and it should be incorporated with their benefits and care, "said Morabia.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder that can occur after a person has been exposed to a shocking, frightening or dangerous event, according to the US National Institute of Mental Health.Patients with PTSD often have flashbacks, reliving the event again and again.They can avoid certain situations, places or They may also be easily frightened and have tantrums, and they may have negative thoughts about the world.
Aaron Pinkhasov is President of Behavioral Health at NYU Winthrop in Mineola, NY He stated that The study shows that there is a complex connection between the mind and the body, and that it shows what happens when the body is exposed to chronic stress. not been i
Although this study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, Pinkhasov noted that PTSD may trigger a number of biological responses that could explain the badociation between PTSD and diseases heart.
Post-traumatic stress disorder makes an area of the brain that is generally considered a center of "fear" becomes overactive, he said. This can lead to a sympathetic nervous system response, which controls the body's fight or flight response, and can cause higher blood pressure.
This can then cause inflammation throughout the body and blood vessels that helps harden the arteries, said Pinkhasov.
To see if PTSD among World Trade Center responders was badociated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, Morabia and his colleagues followed the health of nearly 6,500 first-time blue collar workers for four months. years. The study began in 2012. There were about five times more men than women.
The researchers measured blood pressure, weight, height, and cholesterol levels. They also collected information on PTSD, depression, smoking, and exposure to dust during cleaning.
After adjusting the data to account for other factors that may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers have a 2.2-fold increased risk of heart attack in people with PTSD than in those who did not. The risk of stroke was 2.5 times higher.
Morabia and Pinkhasov said that doctors should be aware of this link when they are treating people with PTSD.
"Special attention should be given to their exposure to cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, as they present a increased risk of early heart attack ".
The treatment of PTSD would probably be helpful in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke, said the two experts, but studies will need to be done to prove it.
Morabia noted that these problems may be more serious for volunteers who rush to help after a disaster but who have not been trained or prepared for what to expect.
"Untrained first responders who engage in disaster-related activities such as hurricanes or fires, which are becoming more common, are more likely to experience psychological difficulties after work than first responders" said Mr. Morabia.
And he added that natural or terrorist disasters have become the new standard of public health. But it is unlikely that responders to other disasters would receive the same long-term support for their mental or physical health problems as 9/11 workers, he said.
The study was published July 10, 1945. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes
More Information
Learn More About The Syndrome Post-traumatic stress disorder from the US National Institute of Mental Health
SOURCES: Alfredo Morabia, MD, Ph.D., Professor, Epidemiology, Barry Commoner Center, University of New York City, and School Mailman Public Health Program at Columbia University, New York; Aaron Pinkhasov, MD, Chair, Department of Behavioral Health, NYU Winthrop Hospital, Mineola, NY, and Clinical Professor, Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York; July 10, 2018, Circulation: Quality and Cardiovascular Outcomes
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