Heart Problems and PTSD Connection Linked Years Ago

When will they do a study to find out how stressful it is to keep funding these studies?

This is a study of PTSD and hearts

MUNICH, Germany, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Patients with cardiac defibrillators may have a higher death risk if they have post-traumatic stress disorder, German researchers said.

It was reported by UPI PTSD linked to increased heart death risk and is still an active page showing;

"Our findings provide direct evidence for an independent influence of PTSD symptoms on fatal outcome in these patients," the study authors said in a statement.

The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found those experiencing PTSD symptoms conferred a 2.4-fold long-term age- and sex-adjusted mortality -- death -- risk for patients with implantable cardiac defibrillators.

But if you already checked the links, then you know this report was from 2008.

For years there has been more research on this but we're not talking a decade. We're talking about decades. Now unless the human body has been changed, unless the human mind has been totally rewired and war has changed so much that it caused PTSD to morph into something else, not much results came out of all these repeated research projects.

So here's the latest headline everyone is talking about as if it is something totally new. It ain't new and it hasn't improved for veterans. Gee wonder why that is?

Study adds evidence on link between PTSD, heart disease
In a study of more than 8,000 veterans living in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, those with posttraumatic stress disorder had a nearly 50 percent greater risk of developing heart failure over about a seven-year follow-up period, compared with their non-PTSD peers.

The findings appear in the April 2015 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence linking PTSD and heart disease. The research to date—including these latest findings—doesn't show a clear cause-and-effect relationship. But most experts believe PTSD, like other forms of chronic stress or anxiety, can damage the heart over time.

"There are many theories as to how exactly PTSD contributes to heart disease," says Dr. Alyssa Mansfield, one of the study authors. "Overall, the evidence to date seems to point in the direction of a causal relationship."

Everything in the human body is connected. Get under stress and it causes heart problems. What is more stressful than combat? Easy. Living the rest of your life with PTSD and then getting a load of stuff instead of help. This was reported on the UK Daily Mail about a study done in Massachusetts.

Proof that stress really does cause heart attacks
Adrenaline can increase white blood cell production which can cause ruptures

Extra white blood cells can cause inflammation in people whose arteries are already thickened with plaque

These inflammations can lead to ruptures which can cause heart attack in minutes

PTSD and Heart Disease report not new

This isn't new.

Long-Term Effects Of PTSD Revealed: Heart Disease Twice As Likely In Vietnam Veterans With The Disorder
In a study of male twins who served in the Vietnam War, veterans with PTSD were almost twice as likely to develop heart disease over a 13-year period than those without the disorder.
Medical Daily
BY ANTHONY RIVAS
JUN 25, 2013

While most of the media coverage of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) focuses on the rough transition home experienced by veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, the disorder has been experienced by veterans from earlier conflicts, dating back to World War II, as well as a number of civilians.

9 November, 1999 from BBC

Post traumatic stress linked to heart disease

Nearly a third of Vietnam veterans were psychologically scarred

A major study of Vietnam veterans has found those who plagued by anxiety attacks or depression as a result of their experiences are also far more likely to suffer from heart problems.

The results of the US study suggest post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may actually cause or greatly accelerate the condition.

November 2012 Health.com
PTSD linked to hardened arteries

Nearly a third of Vietnam veterans were psychologically scarred

A major study of Vietnam veterans has found those who plagued by anxiety attacks or depression as a result of their experiences are also far more likely to suffer from heart problems.

The results of the US study suggest post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may actually cause or greatly accelerate the condition.

There are more reports on this but you get the idea. This is turning into holding reporters accountable day.

UPDATE ADD THIS TO THE ABOVE

Study: Veterans More Likely To Develop Heart Problems, CBS Detroit, June 26, 2013

Army Ranger died after 6 tours at the age of 26

There are so many stories out there the general public never knows unless they happen in their own hometowns. Staff Sgt. Ryan Coyer passed away a year ago at the age of 26 and after 6 tours of duty. Think about that for a second and then think about all the others going through that many deployments. Then think about the others doing even more tours in our name.

Family grieves for soldier who died after six tours of duty
By Elizabeth Chuck
Staff Writer
NBC News
March 12, 2013

At 26, Staff Sgt. Ryan Coyer already had a lifetime of accomplishments: four tours to Afghanistan, two tours to Iraq, and being named a member of the elite U.S. Army Rangers.

On Monday, the eve of the one-year anniversary of Coyer’s death, his family gathered at his graveside to commemorate that lifetime of accomplishments, unexpectedly cut short when Coyer died of cardiac arrest.

"The kid could do anything he wanted as long as he put his mind to it," Anthony Coyer, Ryan’s father, told Michigan’s MLive.com last year of his son, who was born in Nashville but grew up in Saginaw, Mich., playing football and frequently landing on the honor roll. "He wouldn't admit that."

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Lesleigh Coyer, 25, of Saginaw, Michigan, lies down in front of the grave of her brother, Ryan Coyer, who served with the U.S. Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on March 11, 2013. Coyer died one year ago.

read more here

Veteran sent home with appointment instead of care died

VA sued for negligence in ex-Councilman Witter’s death
GlobeGazette
By JOHN SKIPPER
November 21, 2012

MASON CITY — The widow of former Mason City Councilman Scott Witter is suing the U.S. Veterans Administration, claiming that negligence by the Mason City VA outpatient clinic contributed to his death.

Witter, 56, died Feb. 23 of a massive heart attack, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court.

His widow, Teresa L. Witter, says her husband went to the Mason City VA outpatient clinic at about 3 p.m. on Feb. 22 complaining of chest pains.

According to the suit, Witter was examined by an outpatient nurse who questioned him about his complaints and took his vital signs.

The clinic office records state Witter felt better after interacting with the nurse. He was to have lab tests the next morning and made a follow-up appointment at the clinic for March 8.

At no time was he seen by a physician nor was any physical examination or any diagnostic testing done, according to the suit.

Witter suffered the fatal heart attack the next morning.
read more here

PTSD linked to hardened arteries

PTSD linked to hardened arteries

By Anne Harding, Health.com
November 17, 2010 12:47 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects more than the mind
Disorder may damage blood vessels and increase the risk of dying early
Veterans who had PTSD were 48 percent more likely to die of any cause during the study

(Health.com) -- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects more than the mind. The disorder may damage blood vessels and increase the risk of dying early, according to new research presented today at an annual meeting of the American Heart Association.

The study included about 286,000 mostly male veterans between the ages of 45 and 81 who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and conflicts dating back to the Korean War.

The vets with PTSD -- who accounted for roughly 10 percent of the study participants -- had more than double the risk of dying during the 10-year study compared to their peers who didn't have disorder, the researchers found.

Health.com: Depression, PTSD common among Iraq vets

Twenty-nine percent of the vets with PTSD died during the study, compared to 8 percent of the vets without PTSD. (The overall death rate in the study was 13 percent.)

The increased risk of death associated with PTSD held even after the researchers controlled for factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking.
read more here

PTSD linked to hardened arteries

Man dies after EMTs suggest antacids

Man dies after EMTs suggest antacids
Authorities investigate emergency workers who misdiagnosed a man's heart attack for acid reflux. WJLA reports.

This one hits close to home. My brother died less than a week after he got laid off of a heart attack. He didn't feel well but didn't want to go to the doctors. He had a job interview coming up and didn't want to go to hospital because he would miss the interview. He died. My father, well we were constantly watching for him to need help and he always asked for it. He always got great care until the night he died. His heart just gave out. He was gone by the time the ambulance arrived. They got his heart to start again but it stopped for the last time.

The man who just died did what he was supposed to do. The family did what they were supposed to do. They called for help. Something was missed and they let him down.

PTSD linked to increased heart death risk

PTSD linked to increased heart death risk
Published: Nov. 10, 2008 at 9:29 PM

MUNICH, Germany, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Patients with cardiac defibrillators may have a higher death risk if they have post-traumatic stress disorder, German researchers said.

Dr. Karl-Heinz Ladwig of Technische Universitaet Muenchen in Germany and Helmholtz Zentrum National Research Center for Environmental Health in Neuherberg, Germany, and colleagues studied 211 patients who had received implantable cardiac defibrillators -- devices that administer shocks to help restore normal heartbeat -- following a heart event in 1998. Participants were surveyed an average of 27 months after implantation and 38 reported severe PTSD symptoms.

During the average follow-up period of five years, 45 of the patients, or 30.6 percent, died.
click link for more

BBC:1999 Report of PTSD and Heart

One more case of repeating what was already known or one more case of them trying to pretend they are actually doing something about this? Which is it. The study was done on Vietnam veterans and right here in the USA but I found the report on the BBC. For the last few weeks the blogs have been posting as if this is any kind of real news simply because they don't have a clue what was known all these years. That fact alone is bad but what is worse is that the people who are repeating the same studies done so long ago are wasting time and money when they could be trying something new.

Tuesday, 9 November, 1999, 08:28 GMT
Post traumatic stress linked to heart disease


Nearly a third of Vietnam veterans were psychologically scarred

A major study of Vietnam veterans has found those who plagued by anxiety attacks or depression as a result of their experiences are also far more likely to suffer from heart problems.

The results of the US study suggest post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may actually cause or greatly accelerate the condition.

While the link between extreme stress and heart disease has been demonstrated in animal studies, it has so far been more difficult to prove in humans.

The 4,462 men studied had all seen combat during the Vietnam war, according to the paper published in the US Annals of Behavioural Medicine.

Dr Joseph Boscarino, from the department of outcomes research in Kentucky, who led the investigation, said: "We believe that this research suggests a clear, definitive linkage between exposure to severe stress and the onset of coronary heart disease in humans."
He added: "For these men, combat exposure years ago in Vietnam was the principal reason for PTSD, anxiety and depression, but we believe that the results would be similar when looking at the consequences of severe distress among other groups of people and within other occupations."
Approximately 30% of veterans of the Vietnam conflict are thought to have developed PTSD as a result.

A British expert in the disorder, Dr Stuart Turner, from the Traumatic Stress Clinic in London, said the results were "plausible".
He said: "Post traumatic stress disorder is associated with some physical effects on the body's metabolism.
"However, a lot more work needs to be done before it can be proven."
A British study published this week found more than half of UK World War II veterans suffer psychological trauma related to their experiences.

In some, interviewed by Dr Nigel Hunt of Nottingham Trent University, the symptoms are worsening in retirement.
He found 36% of 709 veterans fulfilled criteria suggesting they would benefit from psychiatric treatment.

go here for more
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/509937.stm

German study, scared to death does happen

Blood-curdling fear linked to heart attack


Published: March 26, 2008 at 10:17 AM
BONN, Germany, March 26 (UPI) -- Scientists in Bonn, Germany, found the saying, "The fear made my blood curdle," may literally be true.

The researchers examined the coagulation in patients with anxiety disorders and compared them to those without such disorders and found intense fear and panic attacks increase blood clotting and may increase the risk of thrombosis or heart attack.

Franziska Geiser of the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy and Ursula Harbrecht of the Institute of Experimental Haematology and Transfusion Medicine matched 31 patients with anxiety disorders to corresponding healthy patients based on age and gender. The blood analysis, which measured various coagulation factors, produced a clear result, the researchers said.
click post title for the rest

Right away the first thing I thought of was the recent reports out about PTSD veterans and the rise in heart problems with them. Ever hear of this many 20 year olds having heart attacks? There are a lot of non-combat deaths that are signed off as "natural causes" that could be linked to something much more. They were scared to death.