Women Who Battle PTSD Also Face Greater Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
Women with post-traumatic stress disorder have double the risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to women who don’t suffer from PTSD, a new study shows.
The risk appears to increase with the greater the number and severity of PTSD symptoms, researchers said. For women in the study who had the highest number of symptoms, nearly 12 percent had developed type 2 diabetes by age 60.
The study included nearly 50,000 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study II.
“Not only is PTSD devastating to mental health, but it affects physical health, too, raising risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, said senior author Karestan Koenen, the study’s senior author and adjunct associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard Chan School.
Unfortunately, fewer than half of Americans with PTSD receive treatment, according to first author Andrea Roberts, a research associate at Harvard Chan School.
“Women with PTSD and the health professionals who care for them should be aware that these women are at greater risk for diabetes,” Roberts said. “…Our study adds urgency to the effort to improve access to mental health care to address factors that contribute to diabetes and other chronic diseases.”
The study builds on past findings by researchers, including a 2013 study that reported a link between PTSD and obesity. Other research has shown a link between mental illness issues like anxiety, social phobia, agoraphobia and type 2 diabetes.
Detecting diabetes early can help decrease the risk for complications. Some people have no symptoms. Common symptoms include:
- Frequent urination
- Feeling extreme thirst
- Feeling very hungry – despite eating
- Fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Cuts or bruises that are slow to heal
- Weight loss
- Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands or feet
Sources: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health news release; American Diabetes Association
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