9-11 New York:Seven Years and Still Struggling to Breathe Easier

Seven Years and Still Struggling to Breathe Easier
Nurse.com - Falls Church,VA,USA
By Vikki Newton
Monday November 17, 2008

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the greatest burden borne by 9/11 rescue and recovery workers and the residents of lower Manhattan who lived through the attacks on the World Trade Center, according to the recently released 2008 Annual Report on 9/11 Health from the World Trade Center Medical Working Group of New York City.

Among directly exposed populations, 12% of rescue and recovery workers and 13% of lower Manhattan residents reported symptoms of PTSD, which is three times higher than would be expected if the WTC attacks had never occurred, says Jeffrey Hon, New York City Department of Health 9/11 health coordinator. People from these groups also often present with a constellation of symptoms, he says, including respiratory problems, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

"Healthcare providers who treat people in these groups need to be aware of and sensitive to the fact that these health issues persist," Hon says. "Many of the people with respiratory illnesses report that they worked at the WTC site shortly after the attacks or were caught in the dust cloud that rolled through lower Manhattan after the buildings collapsed."

Health Registry Tracks 71,000+

The WTC Health Registry, launched in 2003, periodically collects information about the physical and mental health effects of the collapse from more than 71,000 adults and children who were exposed. Funded by the federal government, the registry is the largest effort in U.S. history to study the health effects of a disaster. Half of the registrants reported being in the dust cloud that rose from the collapsing towers; 70% witnessed a traumatic event that day, such as a plane hitting the tower; and 13% were injured.

The 411 on 9/11 HealthThe 9/11 Health website advises healthcare professionals to do the following –• Ask your patients about their exposure to the WTC disaster during routine exams, even if they live outside the city. People from other areas rushed to the scene to assist with rescue and recovery.

• Refer patients with symptoms described in the Clinical Guidelines to one of the three Centers of Excellence. Treatment is free. Contact information is on the website.

• Share your clinical knowledge and experience evaluating and treating patients with WTC-related illnesses with the NYC DOH and Mental Hygiene. Call or e-mail Jim Cone at 212-442-2402 or jcone@health.nyc.gov/.

• Report the death of any patient with WTC exposure to the NY State Department of Health at 518-402-7900. For more information, visit the 9/11 Health website at http://www.nyc.gov/9-11HealthInfo/.
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