PTSD Linked to higher post-surgery death rate
Important new research has linked posttraumatic stress disorder to “implicated ills of the body…suggesting it may be associated with death after surgery” (CNN, E. Landau, 10/24). The study shows “that veterans with PTSD were more likely to die within a year after surgery than those without the disease, regardless of how many years have passed since their service,” and is the first to study the mortality rates of PTSD patients after surgery.
Approximately 6.8% of Americans have PTSD at some point during their lives, and considering the quantity of PTSD patients stands to increase over the next few decades, the implications of the new research hold critical weight. Physicians should “treat PTSD not only as a mental condition, but also as an independent risk factors for other health problems.” As a Chicago attorney who specializes in both personal injury and medical negligence cases, I am pleased that this research is being circulated in the medical community so physicians can consider these new important factors.
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