PTSD has been known to increase the risk of heart disease
and stroke in older adults — but, according to a recent study, that risk
extends beyond older adults into middle-aged and even young adults.
A nationwide study published in Stroke, a journal of the
American Stroke Association, that included 1.1 million veterans showed that PTSD
may be a "potent risk" for stroke at a young age.
Those veterans were all enrolled in healthcare services
provided by the Veterans Health Administration — mostly males between the ages
of 18 and 60 with an average age of 30. They had all recently served in Iraq
and Afghanistan and none had previously experienced a stroke.
Researchers followed these veterans for 13 years. Within
that time period, 1,877 of the veterans had a stroke. That means that veterans
with PTSD were 62% more likely to have a stroke — raising the risk more than
other lifestyle factors like obesity and smoking.
PTSD affects roughly 8 million American adults — and 30
percent of veterans.
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