Research Alert
People at greater genetic risk for severe PTSD may also carry greater risk for poor heart and lung outcomes, a new Yale-led study finds.
Genetic PTSD risk is quantified in polygenic scores of PTSD symptom severity (PGS-PTSD). Reseachers investigated electronic health records from four biobanks to find whether higher PGS-PTSD scores were associated with a variety of conditions and health outcomes.
The team found higher PGS-PTSD scores were associated with 12 different negative health outcomes, including alcoholism, tachycardia, cardiac dysrhythmias and acute pancreatitis.
"These results emphasize the interplay between genetics, mental health, and physical well-being," says lead author Gita Pathak, PhD, "particularly in relation to factors like BMI and smoking." Researchers say seven of the 12 negative outcome associations remained strong even when adjusting for the impacts of body mass index and smoking status.
"Our study identified a direct effect of PTSD on both mental and physical health across multiple medical domains," says senior author Renato Polimanti, PhD. "These results highlight the importance of comprehensive screening in PTSD patients to assess, prevent, and treat short- and long-term consequences.”
RSS