War Veterans With PTSD At Increased Dementia Risk

Results of a new study show that soldiers diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder maybe at an increased risk of developing dementia as they age.

The study does not elaborate on why soldiers with PTSD are at risk of dementia, but clearly shows us that those diagnosed with the combat acquired condition are at increased risk.

Writing in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers led by Dr. Kristine Yaffe of the University of California, San Francisco, and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center explain their findings.

They followed up to 180,000 veterans of war for a seven year period, all of whom were free of any form of dementia at the beginning of the study period.

When it came to dementia, 11% of those war vets diagnosed with PTSD developed the condition, compared to only 7% of those soldiers who did not have it.

“PTSD is a pretty common diagnosis, sadly, that does seem to occur in roughly maybe 10 percent of combat-exposed veterans,” Yaffe stated.

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