Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Onset and Longitudinal Change in Biological Aging

People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at increased risk for poor health, which could be explained by faster rates of biological aging. However, associations between PTSD and aging have most often been investigated using cross-sectional designs, with few longitudinal studies using more recently developed epigenetic measures of aging. To test whether changes in PTSD status were associated with changes in biological aging over roughly 12 years, we used data from 400 veterans assessed at two visits in the Post-Deployment Mental Health Study. Biological aging was assessed by DunedinPACE, with additional results shown for PC-GrimAge and PC-PhenoAge. Between two occasions spanning an average of 11.9 years, veterans who developed new onset PTSD showed significant increases in DunedinPACE (β = 0.24, 95% CI [0.07, 0.41], p = .006), whereas remission in PTSD between occasions was not associated with significant decreases in the rate of aging (β = −0.13, 95% CI [-0.33, 0.08], p = .207). When assessing PTSD symptoms, increases in PTSD symptoms between baseline and follow-up were associated with increases in DunedinPACE over the same period (β = 0.07, 95% CI [0.01, 0.14], p = .032), and vice versa. Estimates for PC-GrimAge largely replicated those for DunedinPACE, whereas PC-PhenoAge replicated some associations.

These results suggest that changes in PTSD are associated with longitudinal changes in biological aging. Efforts to prevent the onset of PTSD and reduce PTSD symptoms could slow aging and reduce risk for poor health. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement This research was supported by Award #IK2CX002694 to Dr. Bourassa and a Senior Research Career Scientist Award to Dr. Beckham (#lK6BX003777) from the Clinical Science and Research and Development Service of VA ORD, as well as a Research Career Scientist Award to Dr. Kimbrel (#IK6BX006523) from the Biomedical Laboratory Research & Development Service. This work was also supported in part by the VISN 6 MIRECC and used the resources of the Pharmacogenomics Analysis Laboratory, funded by the Cooperative Studies Program, VA ORD. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the VA, the U.S. government, Duke University, or any other affiliated institution. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The Durham, Richmond, W.G. Bill Hefner V,A and Central Virginia VA Health Care Systems Institutional Review Boards approved the study protocol and participants provided informed consent. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Footnotes Author notes: This research was supported by Award #IK2CX002694 to Dr. Bourassa and a Senior Research Career Scientist Award to Dr. Beckham (#lK6BX003777) from the Clinical Science and Research and Development Service of VA ORD, as well as a Research Career Scientist Award to Dr. Kimbrel (#IK6BX006523) from the Biomedical Laboratory Research & Development Service. This work was also supported in part by the VISN 6 MIRECC and used the resources of the Pharmacogenomics Analysis Laboratory, funded by the Cooperative Studies Program, VA ORD. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the VA, the U.S. government, Duke University, or any other affiliated institution. Conflicts of interest: No authors have conflicts of interest to report. Data Sharing Statement: Data from the Post Deployment Mental Health (PDMH) Study are available to researchers who request access through the VISN 6 MIRECC and follow the appropriate data access protocols. Data Availability Data from the Post Deployment Mental Health (PDMH) Study are available to researchers who request access through the VISN 6 MIRECC and follow the appropriate data access protocols.