Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder developed when a person witnesses or experiences a particularly shocking, traumatic, stressful, or dangerous event. PTSD often develops in rape survivors, war refugees and veterans, child abuse victims, and other similar cases. This can manifest in several ways, such as frequent and disturbing thoughts about the incident, as well as a higher propensity for self-harm and suicide.
Now, PTSD has been linked to higher infection rates from other physical diseases, according to research from Boston University's School of Public Health, Aarhus University, University of Vermont, and Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health.
Published in Epidemiology, the study focused on the medical histories between those with and without PTSD, specifically their rates of infection to common diseases. While previous studies looked at how PTSD was linked to one or two different illnesses, the study casts a much wider scale on both the number of participants and the number of infection types observed.
Aside from the mental health aspect, the research now opens a new dimension into PTSD, specifically how it also affects physical health.
Using data obtained on a nationwide scale, the researchers looked into Danish citizens diagnosed with PTSD between 1995 to 2011 and followed their medical history with regards to infection rates of 28 different diseases. They compared this data to other Danish citizens of similar sex and age to see how much more likely they were to contact diseases.
After adjusting for several factors like other physical and mental health diagnoses, as well as their martial/partnership status, they discovered several disturbing statistics:
People afflicted with PTSD had almost double the rate of infection, 1.8 times more likely in general, compared to those without the disorder. Viral hepatitis was particularly alarming, at 2.7 times more likely to occur, influenza rates were at 1.7 times higher, and meningitis at 1.3 times more probable.
They also found that infection rates differed between sexes. Women were more likely to develop upper respiratory tract infections, as well as urinary tract infections. On the other hand, men had a higher probability of contracting skin infections.
In a press release from Boston University's School of Public Health, lead investigator Tammy Jiang remarks:
"Our study adds to the growing evidence suggesting that PTSD and chronic severe stress are damaging for physical health."
Not only does this give us a better understanding of PTSD, but it also gives insights as to how we should adapt healthcare services for those afflicted with the disorder.
Aside from mental health, more attention should also be given to the physical health aspect of those suffering from the disorder. PTSD support systems should look into both dimensions to provide better healthcare for those afflicted with it. These support systems should also be adjusted for the person's sex to ensure that healthcare is also tailored to them.
With more developments being made in understanding mental health disorders like PTSD, we can create better and more holistic healthcare systems to ensure that those suffering from them can get the treatment they deserve.