Private MD News

Bowel disease connected to PTSD

Category: Autoimmune Diseases

Individuals who have received a positive celiac disease test or have been otherwise diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease may be more likely to develop post traumatic stress disorder.

Most inflammatory bowel diseases are incurable, and treating them is often costly and exhausting and is known to carry a risk for further complications. The new findings, which were published in the journal Frontline Gastroenterology, indicated that PTSD may be one such complication.

For the study, researchers followed the medical records of nearly 600 adults with an inflammatory bowel disease for a period of 18 months. They found that these individuals were much more likely to experience PTSD than the general population.

Furthermore, researchers found that the inflammatory bowel disease patients with PTSD were more likely to experience a worsening of their bowel condition than participants who did not have PTSD.

Researchers said that their findings add to the growing notion that emotionally exhausting diseases, such as HIV, may result in PTSD. Previously it was believed that only traumatic experiences could cause the mental dysfunction.