Dataset Information

Cognitive impairment among World Trade Center responders: Long-term implications of re-experiencing the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

During the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks, responders who helped in search, rescue, and recovery endured multiple traumatic and toxic exposures. One-fifth subsequently developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD has been linked to dementia in veterans. This study examined the association between WTC-related PTSD and cognitive impairment (CI) in WTC responders.

Methods

A one-third sample of responders (N = 818) reporting for annual monitoring visits were screened for cognitive impairment and dementia using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment from January 2014-April 2015. Concurrent diagnoses of PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD), as well as serial PTSD and depressive symptom inventories, collected since 2002, were examined in relation to current CI.

Results

Approximately 12.8% and 1.2% of responders in this sample respectively had scores indicative of CI and possible dementia. Current PTSD and MDD were associated with CI. Longitudinal results revealed that re-experiencing symptoms were consistently associated with CI (aRR = 2.88, 95% confidence interval = 1.35-6.22), whereas longitudinal increases in other PTSD and depressive symptoms in the years before screening were evident only among those with CI.

Conclusions

Analyses replicated results from Veterans studies and further highlighted the importance of re-experiencing symptoms, a major component of PTSD that was consistently predictive of CI 14 years later. Clinicians should monitor CI when treating individuals with chronic PTSD.

SUBMITTER: Clouston SA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5011166 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Cognitive impairment among World Trade Center responders: Long-term implications of re-experiencing the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Clouston Sean A P SA Kotov Roman R Pietrzak Robert H RH Luft Benjamin J BJ Gonzalez Adam A Richards Marcus M Ruggero Camilo J CJ Spiro Avron A Bromet Evelyn J EJ

Alzheimer's & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 20160819

<h4>Introduction</h4>During the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks, responders who helped in search, rescue, and recovery endured multiple traumatic and toxic exposures. One-fifth subsequently developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD has been linked to dementia in veterans. This study examined the association between WTC-related PTSD and cognitive impairment (CI) in WTC responders.<h4>Methods</h4>A one-third sample of responders (N = 818) reporting for annual monitoring visits were sc ...[more]

PMID: 27626057

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundWhile several studies have reported the association between 9/11 exposure and cancer risk, cancer survival has not been well studied in the World Trade Center (WTC) exposed population. We examined associations of 9/11-related exposures with mortality in WTC Health Registry enrollees diagnosed with cancer before and after 9/11/2001.Patients and methodsThis is a longitudinal cohort study of 5061 enrollees with a first-ever primary invasive cancer diagnosis between 1995 and 2015 and followed through 2016. Based on the timing of first cancer diagnosis, pre-9/11 (n = 634) and post-9/11 (n = 4427) cancer groups were examined separately. 9/11-related exposures included witnessing traumatic events, injury on 9/11, and 9/11-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Associations of exposures with all-cause mortality were examined using Cox proportional hazards regression. In the post-9/11 group, cancer-specific mortality was evaluated by enrollee group (WTC rescue/recovery workers vs. non-workers) using Fine and Gray's proportional sub-distribution hazard models, adjusting for baseline covariates, tumor characteristics, and treatment.ResultsIn the pre-9/11 group, 9/11-related exposures were not associated with all-cause mortality. In the post-9/11 group, increased risk of all-cause mortality was associated with PTSD (adjusted HR = 1.35; 95% CI = 1.11-1.65), but not with injury or witnessing traumatic events. Cancer-specific mortality was not statistically significantly associated with 9/11-related exposures. In rescue/recovery workers, increased non-cancer mortality risk was associated with PTSD (aHR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.13-4.00) and witnessing ≥3 traumatic events (aHR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.13-3.55).ConclusionsWe did not observe associations between 9/11-related exposures and cancer-specific mortality. Similar to findings in the non-cancer WTC exposed population, PTSD was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality in cancer patients.

Dataset Information

Cognitive impairment among World Trade Center responders: Long-term implications of re-experiencing the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Cognitive impairment among World Trade Center responders: Long-term implications of re-experiencing the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Similar Datasets

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