Regular Research ArticleIs Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Associated with Premature Senescence? A Review of the Literature
Section snippets
Methods
We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and PILOTS databases for papers published between January 1, 2000, and November 30, 2014. The year 2000 was chosen because it included studies published after 9/11/2001 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which represented the beginning of a period of intensified public and scientific interest in PTSD.
Targeted outcomes for the present review included: biomarkers of senescence (leukocyte telomere length [LTL], blood pro-inflammatory indices, and oxidative stress),
Results
Our search yielded 64 studies that met inclusion and exclusion criteria for review (Fig. 1). Of these, 22 were suitable for calculating overall effect sizes (Cohen's d) for biomarkers and 10 for mortality (hazard ratio). Interestingly, only two articles that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria were published between 2000 and 2003,17, 18 supporting our choice of the year 2000 as a cutpoint for review. Except where otherwise indicated, our review focused on results comparing people with PTSD
Discussion
We reviewed 64 studies representing three different categories of evidence linking PTSD with accelerated aging (biomarkers of senescence, senescence-associated medical comorbidities, and mortality rates). We found at least partial evidence of an association in each category, discussed in detail in the following.
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James B. Lohr and Barton W. Palmer contributed equally to the paper.