PTSD and Dementia Risk
Article by James Southland
Post-traumatic stress disorder affects many veterans. A new study finds that older veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to develop dementia. Additional studies are needed to determine the cause.Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious condition that affects many military veterans. A new study now finds that older veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder are more than twice as likely to develop dementia as veterans who do not suffer from the disorder.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center examined more than 180,000 veterans ages 55 and older for seven years. About 30 percent of the participants were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder at the start of the study, but none of the participants had been diagnosed with dementia. During the study follow-up, about 11 percent of the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder developed dementia; in contrast, only 7 percent of the participants without post-traumatic stress disorder went on to develop dementia later in life.
Factors such as other physical and mental problems were taken into account, but veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder were still twice as likely to develop dementia than their counterparts. Researchers suggest that years of stress caused by the disorder might lead to long-lasting changes in the brains. Such changes might affect cognition, leading to the development of dementia in older veterans.
Studies of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans have used a variety of measures to assess the commonality of this disorder. Researchers have also used various definitions of post-traumatic stress disorder as well as different criteria to examine mental health problems. Lack of a unified definition of the condition and lack of a standardized measurement have led to challenges in interpreting the findings of such studies.
As a result, additional studies are needed in order to look more closely at the link between post-traumatic stress disorder and the risk of developing dementia among older veterans. Still, the findings provide new support for the need to increase mental health services for today’s veterans.
About the Author
James enjoys working in his flower and vegetagble gardens. Garden Harvest Supply is one of his favorite gardening stores which offer perennial flowers like lovely heuchera plants which will bring color to your landscaping.