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War Trauma & Heart Disease Linked

CHICAGO (AP)  One expert says research shows the burden of war on veterans' health may be even greater than previously believed.

The assessment is based on a major study of nearly two-thousand male veterans of World War Two and Korea. The study suggests that vets with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder -- or PTSD -- are at greater risk of heart attacks as they age.

The new study is the first to document a link between PTSD symptoms and future heart disease. It joins existing evidence that vets with PTSD also have more autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and psoriasis. The study appears in Monday's Archives of General Psychiatry.

A second study, funded by the Army, found that soldiers returning from combat in Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder reported worse physical health, more doctor visits and more missed workdays. It appears in today's American Journal of Psychiatry.

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