Comprehensive geriatric evaluation in former Siberian deportees with posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after exposure to particularly traumatic events. Its severity depends on the nature and intensity of the stressor and the susceptibility of the exposed person. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between PTSD resulting from deportation to Siberia in the patients' childhood and cognitive, emotional, and physical decline in advanced age.

Eighty patients with PTSD with a history of deportation to Siberia and 70 subjects without PTSD were diagnosed according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision; severity of the symptoms included in the criteria was also assessed. In all patients, a standardized interview (including demographic data and comprehensive geriatric assessment tools such as the Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living) was performed.

In analyses with the comparison group, patients with PTSD had a higher frequency of cognitive deficits (7.1% versus 22.5%), depression (31.4% versus 88.8%) and physical disability in activities of daily living (0% versus 21.3%), and instrumental activities of daily living (40.0% versus 88.8%). Moreover, increasing severity of PTSD was associated with significant deterioration in cognitive function, severity of depression, and the deterioration of basic and complex activities of daily living.

Higher frequency of cognitive function deficits, depression, and physical disability was found in the group of former deportees compared with the group of individuals without history of such a traumatic experience.