Vets with post-traumatic stress are at high risk of dementia

Vets with post-traumatic stress are at high risk of dementia
By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY
Veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a significantly higher risk of developing dementia compared with veterans who don't have the disorder, a study reports today.

Using data from the Department of Veterans Affairs National Patient Care Database, scientists from the University of California-San Francisco analyzed files of 181,093 veterans ages 55 and older without dementia from 1997 to 2000. The mean age at the start of the study was 68, and 97% were male.


DRINKING:
Repeated deployments raise soldiers' stress and enrollment in alcohol treatment.

During the follow-up period from 2001 to 2007, the researchers learned that 53,155 veterans were diagnosed with dementia or cognitive impairment. Veterans who had post-traumatic stress developed dementia at a rate of 10.6% over seven years, while those who didn't have the disorder had a rate of 6.6%, the researchers reported.
read here more
Vets with post-traumatic stress are at high risk of dementia