Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may Increase Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

A recent study looks at whether those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder face a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and death.

Researchers went through a comprehensive review of medical literature and found that this problem can increase an individuals' risk of metabolic disorders.

According to lead study author Francesco Bartoll and coauthors from the University of Milano-Biocca, Italy, University College of London, UK and San Gerado Hospital, Monza, Italy, they conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis based on their findings which proposed that the increased risk of metabolic syndrome may result from neurological and hormonal responses due to the disorder.

In an accompanying Editorial, "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Metabolic Syndrome: More Questions than Answers," authors Dawn Schwenke, PhD, VA Health Care System and Arizona State University, Phoenix, and Dan Siegel, MD, Northern California Health Care System (Mather) and University of California, Davis, suggest that more research is needed in order to fully determine whether the relationship between PTSD and metabolic syndrome exists or could be a result of various other factors, including but not limited to such determinants as socioeconomic status, physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and insomnia.

"While Bartoli and colleagues conclude from their meta-analysis that PTSD confers a greater risk for metabolic syndrome, Schwenke and Siegel in their editorial suggest caution, explaining that it is not a simple relationship and many confounding factors could explain this," said Ishwarial (Kenny) Jiala, MD, PhD., Editor-in-Chief of the Journal and Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine (Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism), Robert E. Stowell Endowed Chair in Experimental Pathology, Director of the Laboratory for Atherosclerosis and Metabolic Research, Director Special Chemistry and Toxicology, Davis Medical Center (Sacramento), via a press release. "In agreement with the latter, I believe this is a fertile area for further investigation before any definite conclusions can be drawn."

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders.