Delayed onset of posttraumatic stress disorder among male combat veterans: a case series.

OBJECTIVE

Authors investigated the nature of delayed-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among combat veterans.

METHODS

PTSD, along with cognitive and emotional functioning, was assessed in a case series of elderly Australian war veterans.

RESULTS

Fifteen elderly male subjects consecutively referred to an outpatient psychiatric clinic were identified as having PTSD with significantly delayed onset. In most cases, the onset of PTSD symptoms was associated with unrelated medical complaints, psychosocial stress, and/or mild cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSION

Environmental stressors, coupled with age-related neurodegeneration, may potentially contribute to the late-life recrudescence or emergence of PTSD symptoms in veterans exposed to combat-related trauma.