Work

Effect of asthma and PTSD on persistence and onset of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms among adults exposed to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Little is known about the direction of causality among asthma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and onset of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms (GERS) after exposure to the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. METHODS: Using data from the WTC Health Registry, we investigated the effects of early diagnosed post-9/11 asthma and PTSD on the late onset and persistence of GERS using log-binomial regression, and examined whether PTSD mediated the asthma-GERS association using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Of 29,406 enrollees, 23% reported GERS at follow-up in 2011-2012. Early post-9/11 asthma and PTSD were each independently associated with both the persistence of GERS that was present at baseline and the development of GERS in persons without a prior history. PTSD mediated the association between early post-9/11 asthma and late-onset GERS. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should assess patients with post-9/11 GERS for comorbid asthma and PTSD, and plan medical care for these conditions in an integrated fashion. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:805-814, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine

DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22644

Authors: Jiehui Li, Robert M. Brackbill, Hannah T. Jordan, James E. Cone, Mark R. Farfel, Steven D. Stellman

Institutions: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Government of New York City, Columbia University

Language: English

Topic: Gastroesophageal reflux and treatments

Subfield: Gastroenterology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Center for Environmental Health