Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · May 2015
Posttraumatic stress disorder and the risk of respiratory problems in World Trade Center responders: longitudinal test of a pathway.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with high medical morbidity, but the nature of this association remains unclear. Among responders to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, PTSD is highly comorbid with lower respiratory symptoms (LRS), which cannot be explained by exposure alone. We sought to examine this association longitudinally to establish the direction of the effects and evaluate potential pathways to comorbidity. ⋯ These analyses provide further evidence that PTSD is a risk factor for respiratory symptoms and are consistent with evidence implicating physiological dysregulation associated with PTSD in the development of medical conditions. If these effects are verified experimentally, treatment of PTSD may prove helpful in managing physical and mental health of disaster responders.