Asthma Linked To Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
ScienceDaily (Nov. 16, 2007) — For the first time, a study has linked
asthma with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adults in the
community. The study of male twins who were veterans of the Vietnam
era suggests that the association between asthma and PTSD is not
primarily explained by common genetic influences.


The study included 3,065 male twin pairs, who had lived together in
childhood, and who had both served on active military duty during the
Vietnam War. The study found that among all twins, those who suffered
from the most PTSD symptoms were 2.3 times as likely to have asthma
compared with those who suffered from the least PTSD symptoms.

The study included both monozygotic (identical) twins, who share all
the same genetic material, and dizygotic (fraternal) twins, who share
only half of the same genetic material. "If there had been a strong
genetic component to the link between asthma and PTSD, the results
between these two types of twins would have been different, but we
didn't find substantial differences between the two," said lead
researcher Renee D. Goodwin, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of
Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia
University in New York City.

Several other studies have found a relationship between asthma and
other anxiety disorders, Dr. Goodwin noted. This new research also
confirmed previous findings that linked asthma with a higher risk of
depression. "No one knows the reason for the association between
asthma and mental disorders," she said. "Asthma could increase the
risk of anxiety disorders, or anxiety disorders might cause asthma,
or there could be common risk factors for both asthma and anxiety
disorders. Our study found the association between asthma and PTSD
does not appear to be primarily due to a common genetic
predisposition."

The researchers found the association between asthma and PTSD existed
even after they took into account factors such as cigarette smoking,
obesity and socioeconomic status, all of which are associated with
both anxiety disorders and asthma.

"It is conceivable that traumatic stress, which has been associated
with compromised immune functioning, leads to increased vulnerability
to immune-system-related diseases, including asthma," Dr. Goodwin and
colleagues wrote. "Alternatively, it may be that having asthma places
adults at increased risk for PTSD as it increases the likelihood that
they will be exposed to a traumatic situation because they have a
life-threatening chronic medical condition."

The findings suggest that a person with asthma who experiences a
traumatic event may benefit from seeking professional help, because
they could be more vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress
disorder, Dr. Goodwin said.

The research was published in the first issue for November 2007 of
the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,
published by the American Thoracic Society.