A Twin Study of the Association Between PTSD Symptoms and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Boscarino, Joseph A.; Forsberg, Christopher W.; Goldberg, Jack

doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e3181d9a80c

Cited by 99 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has long been hypothesized to be potentiated by stressful experiences [69] and population-based studies documenting an association between stressful life events and post-traumatic stress with onset or worsening of symptoms has been reported. [70, 71] Given that osteoarthritis (OA) has a much higher prevalence than RA (approximately 14% versus 1%, respectively, based on population-based data [72, 73] ), however, it is reasonable to hypothesize that many of the arthritis cases in the present sample are OA. Several recently published studies have suggested that anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms predict OA suggesting that both OA and RA may have a connection to trauma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentially Traumatic Events and the Risk of Six Physical Health Conditions in a Population-Based Sample

et al. 2013

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Background Potentially traumatic events (PTEs) are common in the population, yet, the impact of total burden and specific types of PTEs on physical health has not been systematically investigated. Methods Data were drawn from the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study, a community sample of predominately African Americans living in Detroit, Michigan, interviewed in 2008–2009 (N = 1,547) and in 2009–2010 (N = 1,054). Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used. Results Respondents with the highest levels of PTE exposure (8+ events) had an average age of adverse physical health condition diagnosis that was 15 years earlier than respondents with no exposure. There was a monotonic relation between number of PTEs and arthritis risk. Compared to those who reported no lifetime events, respondents with 1–2, 3–4, 5–7, and 8+ traumatic events had 1.06, 1.12, 1.73, and 2.44 times the hazard of arthritis. Assaultive violence (HR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.2–2.3) and other threats to physical integrity (HR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.1–2.1) were particularly strong risk factors for arthritis. Conclusions These results provide novel evidence linking PTEs, particularly those involving violence and threat to life, to elevated risk for arthritic conditions. Efforts to prevent or mitigate traumatic event exposures may have a broad range of benefits for health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentially Traumatic Events and the Risk of Six Physical Health Conditions in a Population-Based Sample

et al. 2013

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“…Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with substantially increased risk for chronic diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, and arthritis [8,10,49,52,59]. Importantly, this PTSD-related increased risk for disease does not appear to be accounted for by potential confounds and mediators such as family history, smoking, obesity, alcohol dependence, or depression [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcriptional Control of Monocyte Gene Expression in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) confers an increased risk for disorders with an inflammatory etiology. PTSDrelated dysregulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and associated alterations in inflammatory activity may contribute to this increased risk. However, little is known about convergent SNS, HPA and inflammatory signaling at the level of the immune cell transcriptome in PTSD. To explore such signaling, we examined the prevalence of specific transcription factor binding motifs in the promoter regions of differentially expressed genes in monocytes from individuals with PTSD and matched controls. Participants included 49 men (24 PTSD+ and 25 trauma-exposed controls) and 18 women (10 PTSD+ and 8 controls). Men with PTSD showed up-regulation of target genes for the NF-κB/Rel family of transcription factors, which convey inflammatory signals, up-regulation of target genes for CREB/ATF transcription factors, which convey adrenergic signals from the SNS, and down-regulation of target genes for the glucocorticoid receptor, which conveys glucocorticoid signals from the HPA axis. Women with PTSD also showed significant up-regulation of target genes for NF-κB and non-significant down-regulation of target genes for GR, but significant down-regulation of target genes for CREB/ATF. Altered transcriptional control of monocyte gene expression could contribute to exaggerated inflammatory activity in PTSD.

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“…See Hoge, et al (2002). See also work from the Veterans Health Research Institute, Cohen, et al (2009), Boscarino (2008, Boscarino, Forsberg, and Goldberg (2010). The latter study, a study of twin pairs, showed that the highest PTSD sufferers were 3.8 times more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis compared with the lowest sufferers.…”

Section: Vba (2012)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The financial legacy of Afghanistan and Iraq: How wartime spending decisions will constrain future U.S. national security budgets

Bilmes

2014

EPSJ

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The Afghan and Iraqi conflicts, taken together, will be the most expensive wars in United States history, totaling somewhere between US$4 to US$6 trillion. This includes long-term medical care and disability compensation for service members, veterans and families, military replenishment, and social and economic costs. The largest portion of that bill is yet to be paid. Since 2001, the U.S. has expanded the quality, quantity, availability, and eligibility of benefits for military personnel and veterans. This has led to unprecedented growth in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense budgets. These benefits will increase further over the next 40 years. Additional funds are committed to replacing large quantities of basic equipment used in the wars and to support ongoing diplomatic presence and military assistance in Afghanistan and Iraq. The large sums borrowed to finance war-related operations will also impose substantial long-term debt servicing costs. As a consequence of these wartime spending choices, the United States will face constraints in funding investments in personnel and diplomacy, research and development, and new military initiatives. The legacy of decisions taken during the Afghan and Iraqi wars will dominate federal budgets for decades to come.

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A Twin Study of the Association Between PTSD Symptoms and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Cited by 99 publications

References 40 publications

Potentially Traumatic Events and the Risk of Six Physical Health Conditions in a Population-Based Sample

Potentially Traumatic Events and the Risk of Six Physical Health Conditions in a Population-Based Sample

Transcriptional Control of Monocyte Gene Expression in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The financial legacy of Afghanistan and Iraq: How wartime spending decisions will constrain future U.S. national security budgets

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