http://www.businessinsider.com/r-risk-of-death-nearly-doubled-for-vietnam-veterans-with-ptsd-2015-12
(Reuters Health) - Higher than average death rates among Vietnam War
veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that combat
trauma may still be affecting veterans' health even decades after the
war, according to a new study.
U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War followed from the 1980s to 2011 were
almost twice as likely to die during that period if they had PTSD
compared to those without the disorder.
The findings can inform healthcare for Vietnam veterans, now mostly
in their 60s and older, and prevention efforts for the next generation
of soldiers, the study team writes in the American Journal of
Epidemiology.
"The study offers really valuable empirical information that can help
us better understand how to care for our Vietnam veterans . . . and
also more recent veterans," said study author Nida Corry, of Abt
Associates in Durham, North Carolina.
PTSD can develop after a person has been through a traumatic event
like combat, child abuse or sexual abuse, terrorism attacks and other
disasters, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Symptoms can
include flashbacks, avoiding reminders of the traumatic events, changes
in beliefs and activities and being overly alert, according to the VA.
A study published earlier this year estimated that more than 1 in 10
Vietnam war zone veterans still have PTSD or some symptoms of the
disorder (see Reuters Health story of July 22, 2015, here: http://reut.rs/1NsyrVe).
Previous studies have also suggested that Vietnam vets - especially
those who served in the war zone - are at increased risk of death, and
that the added risk may be related to PTSD. However, those studies were
often limited, according to the authors of the current study.
For the current study, the researchers from Abt Associates, New York
University in New York City and other organizations analyzed information
collected from 1987 to 2011 on nearly 2,400 Vietnam veterans, including
1,632 who served in the combat theater, which included Vietnam, Laos
and Cambodia.
Overall, about 9 percent of theater vets had PTSD at the time of the
initial interviews in the 1980s, which was significantly higher than the
1 percent rate in vets who served outside the war zone.
About 16 percent of all Vietnam veterans who were alive in the 1980s
are now dead, with most deaths due to cancer and heart disease, the
authors estimate.
Male Vietnam War theater veterans who had PTSD were about 87 percent
more likely to die between 1987 and 2011 than those without the
condition - even after adjusting for demographic, social and economic
factors.
"What we found is that having PTSD was associated with a greater risk
of death from cancer and external causes," Corry said, such as traffic
accidents, suicide, murder and other accidental injuries.
Male and female veterans who were exposed to high levels of stress in
the war zone - but not necessarily diagnosed with PTSD - were also at
increased risk of death during the study period, the researchers found.
The combination was even deadlier. Veterans with high levels of war
zone stress exposure who developed PTSD were at the greatest risk of
death, Corry said.
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