Posttraumatic stress disorder mediates the association between traumatic World Trade Center dust cloud exposure and ongoing systemic inflammation in community members.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Reibman J ; Rosen R ; Shao Y ; Zhang Y
• Description:
  Exposure to World Trade Center (WTC) dust/fumes and traumas on 11 September 2001 has been reported as a risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental/physical health symptoms in WTC-affected populations. Increased systemic inflammation and oxidative stress from the exposure and subsequent illnesses have been proposed as contributors to the underlying biological processes. Many blood-based biomarkers of systemic inflammation, including C-reactive protein (CRP), are useful for non-invasive diagnostic and monitoring of disease process, and also potential targets for therapeutic interventions. Twenty years after 9/11, however, the relationships between WTC exposure, chronic PTSD, and systemic inflammation are only beginning to be systematically investigated in the WTC-affected civilian population despite the fact that symptoms of PTSD and systemic inflammation are still common and persistent. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap, using enrollees of the WTC Environmental Health Center (EHC), a federally designated treatment and surveillance program for community members (WTC Survivors) exposed to the 9/11 terrorist attack. We conducted a mediation analysis to investigate the association between acute WTC dust cloud traumatic exposure (WDCTE) on 9/11, chronic PTSD symptoms, and levels of systemic inflammation. The data indicate that the chronic PTSD symptoms and some specific symptom clusters of PTSD significantly mediate the WDCTE on systemic inflammation, as reflected by the CRP levels. As both chronic PTSD and systemic inflammation are long-term risk factors for neurodegeneration and cognitive decline, further research on the implications of this finding is warranted. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Nervous System Occupational Health Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: C-reactive Protein; Systemic Inflammation; PTSD Symptom Cluster; Partial Mediation; PCL Score; Cognitive Impairment; WTC Dust Cloud World Trade Center; WTC; Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; PTSD; Cognitive Function; Chronic Inflammation; Dust Exposure; Surveillance Programs; Medical Monitoring;
• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract ; 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:
  19
• Issue:
  14
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065703
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Jul; 19(14):8622
• Contact Point Address:
  Joan Reibman, Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
• Email:
  joan.reibman@nyulangone.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H): NYC H+H Data Center
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20170401
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20210331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8c60edbf5c1238c0912888d7f76e408077105f7b67da6bdbf882b322012e181677085168ffc32fafeb4f5dc73912bee0cb64b40dcf9e3b2683780936747d65c4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/249519/cdc_249519_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 620.96 KB ]