LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- War veterans are easier to suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which is a main cause of heart attacks, said a study released on Tuesday.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Boston University studied 1,946 male veterans of World War II and the Korea War and found that vets with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are at greater risk of heart attacks as they are getting older.
This is probably a link between PTSD symptoms and future heart disease, said the study.
The study consolidates existing evidence that vets with PTSD also have more autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and psoriasis.
The study appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
A second study, funded by the Army, also found that soldiers returning from combat in Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder reported worse physical health, more doctor visits and more missed workdays.
The Army study, which is based on a survey of 2,863 soldiers one year after combat, appears in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"The burden of war may be even greater than people think," said the first study's lead author, Laura Kubzansky, who studies anxiety, depression and anger as risk factors for heart disease.
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