Having Stress-Related Disorder Associated With Increased Risk of Developing Autoimmune Disease

JAMA: Stress-related disorders brought on by traumatic or stressful life events were associated with increased risk of developing an autoimmune disease.
Why The Research Is Interesting: Development of stress-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may influence multiple bodily systems, including immune function. Whether this contributes to risk for autoimmune disease remains unclear.

Researchers discover a molecular link between post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s disease

Heidelberg: There is increasing evidence that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of developing dementia later in life. Researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, now shed light on the molecular mechanism that links the two disorders. The research is published today in The EMBO Journal.  PTSD is a brain disorder that can occur after experiencing a traumatic event. Individuals with PTSD frequently relive the traumatic event, often triggered by stimuli similar to those that accompanied the trauma. A number of epidemiological studies have shown that individuals suffering from PTSD are more prone to acquiring Alzheimer’s disease later in their lives. 

How do trauma symptoms combine to create chronic PTSD?

Scimex: Little is understood about how posttraumatic stress symptoms develop over time into the syndrome of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A new article published online by JAMA Psychiatry by Richard A. Bryant, Ph.D., of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and coauthors conducted a network analysis to examine how PTSD symptoms are associated in the immediate and chronic phases. For example, one symptom may contribute to another and lead to another, such as how nightmares can contribute to insomnia, which can contribute to fatigue and that can lead to a lack of concentration and irritability.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Raises Odds of Heart Attack and Stroke in Women

Columbia: Women with elevated symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder consistent with the clinical threshold for the disorder had 60-percent higher rates of having a heart attack or stroke compared with women who never experienced trauma, according to scientists at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Results appear in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.

UCLA study pinpoints two genes that increase risk for post-traumatic stress disorder

UCLA. US: Heredity may influence people’s predisposition for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Why do some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder while others who suffered the same ordeal do not? A new UCLA discovery may shed light on the answer.