Link Between PTSD and Dementia Found

by Kathy Jones on  September 03, 2010 at 10:51 PM Research News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
36.4% of the Veterans in this study had PTSD. 11.1% of those with PTSD but not injured, and 7.2% of those with PTSD and injured, had dementia, compared to 4.5% and 5.9% respectively in the non-PTSD groups. These results remained significant after other risk factors of dementia were taken into account like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, etc."Despite the increased risk for those with PTSD, it is noteworthy that most Veterans with PTSD did not develop dementia during the period we studied," said Salah Qureshi, M.D., a staff psychiatrist and investigator with the Houston VA Center of Excellence and first author of the article."It will be important to determine which Veterans with PTSD are at greatest risk and to determine whether PTSD induced by situations other than war injury is also associated with greater risk."

The authors note there could be several explanations for their findings. It could be that cognitive impairment in PTSD is an early marker of dementia, having PTSD makes one more likely to get dementia, or PTSD and dementia have some characteristics in common. They emphasize the need for further study with a broader sample in the civilian population.

In an editorial accompanying this paper, Dr. Soo Borson of the University of Washington Medical Centre, Washington, highlights the need for further research to explain the association and also the wider significance of these findings, "Confirmation of a causal link between PTSD and cognitive impairment in late life would have enormous global implications in a world facing a rising societal burden of dementia, a shrinking workforce to sustain its economies, and the difficulties of containing human violence. Soldiers and other U.S. war veterans are just one of many groups exposed to deeply traumatizing experiences with lifetime effect."



Source-Eurekalert
Previous Page 2 Page 1 | 2 
 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X
  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
News Categories:  
Men's Health Center

Research Related News

» Overgrowth of Bacteria in Gut Blamed For Irritable Bowel Syndrome » New Drug That Only Attacks Cancer Cells Developed
» Personality Traits Linked To Longevity in Centenarians » Lack of Vitamin D in Diet Raises Stroke Risk in Japanese-Americans
» Why Bovine TB Continues to Spread Demystified in New Research » Seaweed Pill May Help Treat Arthritis
» P. Aeruginosa Infection Leads to Worse Outcomes and Increased Hospitalizations in COPD Patients » Hormone Boosts Production of Molecules Which Fight Skin Infection
Read More >>