Comorbid persistent lower respiratory symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder 5-6 years post-9/11 in responders enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brackbill RM ; Cone, James E. ; Farfel MR ; Friedman SM ; Maslow CB ; Stellman SD
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: Co-occurrence of lower respiratory symptoms (LRS) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been increasingly recognized among responders and survivors of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. Information is limited on the degree which comorbidity intensifies symptoms and compromises quality of life across exposed groups. METHODS: Among responders who completed the first and second Registry surveys, measures of respiratory illness, psychological distress, and diminished quality of life were compared between responders comorbid for LRS and PTSD and responders with only LRS or PTSD. RESULTS: Of 14,388 responders, 40% of those with LRS and 57% of those with PTSD were comorbid. When demographic and WTC exposure-related factors were controlled, comorbid responders compared to those with LRS alone were twice as likely to have frequent dyspnea and to have sought care for dyspnea. Compared to responders with PTSD alone, comorbid responders were 2.1 times more likely to report intense re-experiencing of the disaster, 2.5 times more likely to express feelings of significant non-specific psychological distress, and 1.4 times more likely to have received mental health care. Comorbid responders were approximately three times more likely to report only fair or poor general health and more than twice as likely to report being unable to perform usual activities for =14 of 30 days before interview. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes in comorbid responders were similar to or more severe than in comorbid survivors. Health care and disaster relief providers must suspect comorbid illness when evaluating responders' respiratory or mental illnesses and consider treatment for both. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Demography Emergencies Emergency Responders Mental Disorders Mental Health Morbidity Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks Stress, Psychological Surveys And Questionnaires

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Comorbidity Demographic-characteristics Disaster Response Emergency-responders Emergency-response Health-care Health-surveys Longitudinal Study Mental-disorders Mental-stress Mental Health Morbidity-rates Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Psychological-disorders Psychological-reactions Psychological-responses Rescue-workers Respiratory-system-disorders Respiratory Illness Stress World Trade Center

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  56
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043095
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2013 Nov; 56(11):1251-1261
• Contact Point Address:
  Stephen M. Friedman, MD, MPH, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, 42-09 28th Street, 07-127, Long Island City, NY 11101
• Email:
  sfriedm2@health.nyc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  New York City Health/Mental Hygiene
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090430
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dbfa3496d6c78f9244da1feccbcf9ffcd65bd0f2725503eb0cfb082fcf6653f483f2c0f90a42bfec2731035f5b57fbd1dcbe2bc7aa3b19856ab857db913f1bab
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195109/cdc_195109_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 140.23 KB ]