Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2011

Open Access 01-12-2011 | Research article

Late-life coronary heart disease mortality of Finnish war veterans in the TAMRISK study, a 28-year follow-up

Authors: Tarja Kunnas, Tiina Solakivi, Jaana Renko, Anne Kalela, Seppo T Nikkari

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2011

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Wartime stress has been associated with increased late-life mortality of all causes of death. We evaluated whether wounded Finnish World War II veterans who were alive at the age of 55 have increased long-term coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality.

Methods

Health survey data were recorded in 1980 from 667 men, aged 55 years. Of them 102 had been wounded or injured in action during 1939-1945. The remaining participants served as the comparison group. The death certificates during a 28-year follow-up were obtained from the national statistics centre. Statistical comparisons were done by Cox proportional hazard regression model.

Results

There were altogether 140 deaths from CHD. In men who had been wounded or injured in action the crude CHD mortality rate per 10,000 population was 2843, while in the comparison group the corresponding figure was 1961. Men who had been wounded or injured in action were 1.7 times (95% CI 1.1-2.5; p = 0.01) more likely to die from CHD than the comparison group.

Conclusions

Physical trauma at young adulthood may extend to lifelong effects on health. This study suggests that being physically wounded or injured in war may lead to increased CHD mortality in late adulthood in a Finnish population.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Bramsen I, Deeg DJ, van der Ploeg E, Fransman S: Wartime stressors and mental health symptoms as predictors of late-life mortality in World War II survivors. J Affect Disord. 2007, 103: 121-129. 10.1016/j.jad.2007.01.014.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Watanabe KK, Kang HK: Mortality patterns among Vietnam veterans: a 24-year retrospective analysis. J Occup Environ Med. 1996, 38: 272-278. 10.1097/00043764-199603000-00012.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Kang H, Bullman TA: Mortality among U.S. Veterans of the Persian Gulf War. N Engl J Med. 1996, 335: 1498-1504. 10.1056/NEJM199611143352006.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Kang HK, Bullman TA: Mortality among U.S. Veterans of the Persian Gulf War: 7-Year Follow-up. Am J Epidemiol. 2001, 154: 399-405. 10.1093/aje/154.5.399.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Macfarlane GJ, Thomas E, Cherry N: Mortality among UK Gulf War veterans. Lancet. 2000, 356: 17-21. 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02428-4.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Fett MJ, Nairn JR, Cobbin DM, Adena MA: Mortality among Australian conscripts of the Vietnam conflict era. II. Causes of death. Am J Epidemiol. 1987, 125: 878-884.PubMed
7.
Modan M, Peles E, Halkin H, Nitzan H, Azaria M, Gitel S, Dolfin D, Modan B: Increased cardiovascular disease mortality rates in traumatic lower limb amputees. Am J Cardiol. 1998, 82: 1242-1247. 10.1016/S0002-9149(98)00601-8.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Boscarino JA: Posttraumatic stress disorder and mortality among U.S. Army veterans 30 years after military service. Ann Epidemiol. 2006, 16: 248-256. 10.1016/j.annepidem.2005.03.009.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Johnson AM, Rose KM, Elder GH, Chambless LE, Kaufman JS, Heiss G: Military combat and burden of subclinical atherosclerosis in middle aged men: The ARIC Study. Prev Med. 2010, 50: 277-81. 10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.02.009.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
10.
Johnson AM, Rose KM, Elder GH, Chambless LE, Kaufman JS, Heiss G: Military combat and risk of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke in aging men: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Ann Epidemiol. 2010, 20: 143-150. 10.1016/j.annepidem.2009.10.006.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Boehmer TK, Flanders WD, McGeehin MA, Boyle C, Barrett DH: Postservice mortality in Vietnam veterans: 30-year follow-up. Arch Intern Med. 2004, 164: 1908-1916. 10.1001/archinte.164.17.1908.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Thomas TL, Kang HK, Dalager NA: Mortality among women Vietnam veterans, 1973-1987. Am J Epidemiol. 1991, 134: 973-980.PubMed
13.
Elder GH, Shanahan MJ, Clipp EC: Linking combat and physical health: the legacy of World War II in men's lives. Am J Psychiatry. 1997, 154: 330-336.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Pizarro J, Silver RC, Prause J: Physical and mental health costs of traumatic war experiences among Civil War veterans. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006, 63: 193-200. 10.1001/archpsyc.63.2.193.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
15.
Koupil I, Shestov DB, Sparen P, Plavinskaja S, Parfenova N, Vagero D: Blood pressure, hypertension and mortality from circulatory disease in men and women who survived the siege of Leningrad. Eur J Epidemiol. 2007, 22: 223-234. 10.1007/s10654-007-9113-6.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Kaplan GA, Keil JE: Socioeconomic factors and cardiovascular disease: a review of the literature. Circulation. 1993, 88: 1973-1998.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Branth S, Ronquist G, Stridsberg M, Hambraeus L, Kindgren E, Olsson R, Carlander D, Arnetz B: Development of abdominal fat and incipient metabolic syndrome in young healthy men exposed to long-term stress. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2007, 17: 427-435. 10.1016/j.numecd.2006.03.001.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Alastalo H, Raikkonen K, Pesonen AK, Osmond C, Barker DJ, Kajantie E, Heinonen K, Forsen TJ, Eriksson JG: Cardiovascular health of Finnish war evacuees 60 years later. Ann Med. 2009, 41: 66-72. 10.1080/07853890802301983.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Late-life coronary heart disease mortality of Finnish war veterans in the TAMRISK study, a 28-year follow-up
Authors
Tarja Kunnas
Tiina Solakivi
Jaana Renko
Anne Kalela
Seppo T Nikkari
Publication date
01-12-2011
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2011
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-71

Other articles of this Issue 1/2011

BMC Public Health 1/2011 Go to the issue

Commentary

Asking the right questions: developing evidence-based strategies for treating HIV in women and children

Research article

A qualitative study of older adults' responses to sitting-time questions: do we get the information we want?

Research article

Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of stunting and thinness among Pakistani primary school children

Study protocol

Study protocol of physical activity and sedentary behaviour measurement among schoolchildren by accelerometry - Cross-sectional survey as part of the ENERGY-project

Research article

Clustering patterns of physical activity, sedentary and dietary behavior among European adolescents: The HELENA study

Study protocol

Study protocol of KLIMOP: a cohort study on the wellbeing of older cancer patients in Belgium and the Netherlands