Effect of asthma and PTSD on persistence and onset of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms among adults exposed to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Issue 9 (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Jiehui; Brackbill, Robert M.; Jordan, Hannah T.; Cone, James E.; Farfel, Mark R.; Stellman, Steven D.
• Other Names: Markowitz Steven guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: American journal of industrial medicine. Volume 59:Issue 9(2016)
• Page Start: 805
• Page End: 814
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: gastroesophageal reflux -- asthma -- PTSD -- terrorist attacks -- World Trade Center; Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Médecine du travail -- Périodiques; 616.9803
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22644
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0271-3586

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Little is known about the direction of causality among asthma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and onset of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms (GERS) after exposure to the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. Methods: Using data from the WTC Health Registry, we investigated the effects of early diagnosed post‐9/11 asthma and PTSD on the late onset and persistence of GERS using log‐binomial regression, and examined whether PTSD mediated the asthma‐GERS association using structural equation modeling. Results: Of 29, 406 enrollees, 23% reported GERS at follow‐up in 2011–2012. Early post‐9/11 asthma and PTSD were each independently associated with both the persistence of GERS that was present at baseline and the development of GERS in persons without a prior history. PTSD mediated the association between early post‐9/11 asthma and late‐onset GERS. Conclusions: Clinicians should assess patients with post‐9/11 GERS for comorbid asthma and PTSD, and plan medical care for these conditions in an integrated fashion. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:805–814, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.