Post-traumatic stress disorder and asthma risk: A nationwide longitudinal study

Yi-Hsuan Hung; Chih-Ming Cheng; Wei-Chen Lin; Ya-Mei Bai; Tung-Ping Su; Cheng-Ta Li; Shih-Jen Tsai; Tai-Long Pan; Tzeng-Ji Chen; Mu-Hong Chen

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2019.04.014

Post-traumatic stress disorder and asthma risk: A nationwide longitudinal study

Psychiatry Res. 2019 Jun:276:25-30. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.04.014. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Yuan Shan Branch, Yilan, Taiwan.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Research Center for Industry of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Liver Research Center, Division of Hepatology, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Electronic address: pan@mail.cgu.edu.tw.
⁶ Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Hospital and Health Care Administration, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: kremer7119@gmail.com.

PMID: 30991276
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.04.014

Abstract

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) interferes with the immunological system and is correlated with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and chronic pain conditions. However, the association between PTSD and asthma remains unknown.

Methods: A total of 5518 patients with PTSD and 22,072 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were enrolled between 2001 and 2009 and followed until the end of 2011. Individuals who developed asthma during the follow-up period were identified.

Results: During the follow-up period, the patients with PTSD had an increased risk of asthma (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.27), particularly those belonging to the youngest age group (HR = 4.01). The findings were consistent in subsequent sensitivity analyses after the exclusion of the first year of surveillance or allergic disorders.

Discussion: This study showed a significant link between PTSD and asthma after adjusting for demographic data and related comorbidities. The risk of developing asthma in patients with PTSD was consistently higher than that in the controls during the study period. Additional studies are necessary to clarify the underlying mechanisms involved in this association between PTSD and asthma.

Keywords: Adults; Asthma; Children; PTSD.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Asthma / diagnosis*
Asthma / epidemiology*
Asthma / psychology
Comorbidity
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Proportional Hazards Models
Risk Factors
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology
Taiwan / epidemiology
Young Adult