PTSD and physical comorbidity among women receiving Medicaid: results from service-use data

Patterns of physical comorbidity among women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were explored using Michigan Medicaid claims data. PTSD-diagnosed women (n = 2,133) were compared with 14,948 randomly selected women in three health outcome areas: ICD-9 categories of disease, chronic conditions associated with sexual assault history in previous research, and reproductive health conditions. PTSD was associated with increased risk of all categories of diseases (OR range = 1.3-4.8), endometriosis (OR = 2.7), and dyspareunia (OR = 3.4). When PTSD was not complicated by other mental health conditions, odds ratios for chronic conditions ranged from 1.9 for fibromyalgia to 4.3 for irritable bowel. Comorbidity with depression or a dissociative or borderline personality disorder raised risk in a dose-response pattern.