A Study of the Physical Health and Genetics of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

A Cross-Sectional, Case-Control Study of the Physical Health Status of Vietnam Veterans with and without Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Investigation of Genetics of PTSD.

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12614000429651

Acronym

PTSD-01

Enrollment

311

Registered

2014-04-17

Start date

2014-02-28

Completion date

2015-07-20

Last updated

2021-12-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

The proposed research aims to complete a comprehensive assessment of the physical health of Vietnam Veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to improve the understanding of the illnesses associated with PTSD. Assessment of organ function in each group will be carried out to provide information regarding which conditions are associated with PTSD and how these relate and are inter-related. Mechanisms by which these proposed associations may be explained will be explored. This will include investigation of mechanisms which have been proposed as causing physical health damage in PTSD. These include dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA), chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system and chronic inflammation. In addition, neurogenetic and epigenetic studies will be included to identify the genes and their genetic and epigenetic variants that contribute to the susceptibility to either PTSD or to physical damage associated with PTSD.

Interventions

This is an observational study investigating the physical health status of Vietnam veterans with and without Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and investigation of genetics of PTSD. The observation period is 6 weeks.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Male

Age

0 to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Australian males who served as members of the Australian Defence Force in Vietnam during the Vietnam War (irrespective of potential diagnosis of PTSD, or lack thereof). 2. Participants must have read and signed the Participant Information Sheet and signed the Informed Consent Form (PISICF). 3. Participants must be willing to attend GMRF-GPH for all appointments. 4. Participants must be willing to undergo medical and psychological history and clinical examination and test procedures as outlined in the PISICF. 5. Participants must reside sufficiently close to GPH to attend for the required study assessments.

Exclusion criteria

1. Previous diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

Outcome results