People with diabetes who had had pre-traumatic traumatic injury (PTOI) were at greater risk for heart disease and death compared to those without pre-traumatic stress. This was found by a study published in the online journal BMJ Open.
Previous studies have suggested that musculoskeletal pain is higher in people with pre-traumatic wounds than in non-veterans with physical injuries. For the new work, the research team examined data from 25,626 people who participated in the Norwegian Defence Force (RDfN) who had experienced during wartime.
The participants were follows-up for an average of almost 9 years, after which the authors compiled a detailed Myocardiodysiology Risk Score (MDSS) score for all the participants based on their relationship to their soldiers. The study analyzed factors such as mental stress, musculoskeletal pain, heart disease, depression, low quality of life, and heart and lung cancer.
The MDSS score was calculated using validated questionnaires, small-scan arteriovenous blood tests, handed over to the study participants after several months, and is a consumer-friendly tool to measure a multitude of common indicators of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders in a relatively short time after a series of injuries.
