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Biomedical subjects

W Op den Velde

Publications and source records attributed to W Op den Velde.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Reported physical health in resistance veterans from World War II.

Male Dutch Resistance veterans from World War II who reported on chronic diseases were compared with subjects from a population survey. Resistance veterans in general reported significantly more disease. Veterans with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder reported more disease than those who had none. Furthermore, 13 specific disease categories were more prevalent in the Resistance veterans than in the general population. In the Resistance veterans total number of reported diseases was significantly correlated with anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. In Resistance veterans weekly tobacco use was comparable to that of the control subjects, but alcohol consumption was significantly less.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Prevalence and course of posttraumatic stress disorder in Dutch veterans of the civilian resistance during World War II: an overview.

This study concerns the prevalence of current and lifetime Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in various groups of officially recognized Veterans of the Dutch civilian Resistance against the Nazi occupation during World War II. In total, 1046 Resistance veterans living in The Netherlands and 52 who immigrated to the United States after the war were examined. Between four and five decades after the end of WW II, between 25 and 50% were suffering from current PTSD. The life-time prevalence is estimated to be substantially higher. The course of PTSD proved highly variable. There had often been a delay of several decades between the end of the war and reoccurrence or first onset of posttraumatic symptoms. The prevalence of PTSD in Resistance veterans who emigrated to the United States was hardly different from that of the veterans still living in The Netherlands.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Myocardial infarction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Studies concerning the development of a post-traumatic stress disorder related to severe illness are scarce. The confrontation with myocardial infarction may be a very stressful event. Twenty-three patients consecutively admitted for first myocardial infarction were studied. After two years 1 of 18 survivors had been suffering from a partial post-traumatic stress disorder. Similarities and differences in the psychological reactions following potential traumatic events are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Posttraumatic stress disorder in male and female Dutch Resistance veterans of World War II in relation to trait anxiety and depression.

In this study, 680 male and 144 female Dutch Resistance veterans of World War II were evaluated on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, trait anxiety, and depression. Approximately 27% of these men and 20% of these women showed current Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Resistance veterans, as a group, appeared comparable to the controls from Dutch validation studies on trait anxiety and depression. Gender differences were not observed. Veterans with current PTSD symptoms scored higher on trait anxiety and depression than the remaining veterans and were comparable on trait anxiety and depression to psychiatric patients. Correlational analyses showed that there was a strong association between trait anxiety and depression. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder correlated highly with trait anxiety and depression.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

A self-rating scale for the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder in Dutch Resistance veterans of World War II.

The present study reports on the development of a Dutch PTSD scale based on the DSM-III criteria for PTSD. Test-retest reliability was .91. The scale showed an internal consistency with a coefficient alpha of .88. Factor analysis on a large sample of Resistance veterans (N = 967) yielded six factors, which represent intrusive thoughts, physiological reactions, detachment, rage, active confrontation, and guilt.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Snoring and anxiety dreams.

In a group of elderly males who had been exposed to excessive stress during World War II, 56% of whom suffered from current post-traumatic stress disorder, a significant association was found between snoring and the occurrence of anxiety dreams, independent of the use of sedatives, antidepressants, smoking and alcohol and coffee consumption. Anxiety dream incidence was highest when snoring was accompanied by respiratory pauses. The underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms are thought to be hypercapnia and autonomic-vegetative arousal, resulting from obstructive sleep apneic episodes in heavy snoring. Polysomnographic sleep studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Fluvoxamine treatment for chronic PTSD: a pilot study.

A group of 24 Dutch World War II Resistance veterans with a documented traumatic war history and a (partially) positive diagnosis of current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was studied. This special group of war victims is characterised by chronicity, suffering from intractable posttraumatic complaints for decades. They were treated with fluvoxamine (Fevarin), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor with antidepressive and anxiolytic properties. The study was designed as an open-ended, outpatient pilot study, with a treatment period of 12 weeks. Results of clinical examination, and questionnaires investigating PTSD, depression, sleeping problems, anxiety, and vital exhaustion indicate that a significant number of the subjects improved with respect to their PTSD symptomatology, and their symptoms of anxiety and vital exhaustion. However, at the end of the study, quantitative improvement was modest. The results indicate that treatment with fluvoxamine may offer alleviation of chronic PTSD symptoms, in particular insomnia, nightmares, anxiety, intrusive recollections, guilt feelings and tiredness.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Current posttraumatic stress disorder and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Dutch Resistance veterans from World War II.

The extraordinary trauma experienced by Resistance veterans from World War II (WW II) and other veterans may be associated with an increased incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and somatic morbidity, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study explored some relationships between current PTSD and CVD risk factors in 147 male Dutch WW II Resistance veterans. They were compared to 65 same-aged male patients with a recent myocardial infarction and 79 surgical patients. Of these subjects, WW II Resistance veterans scored highest on CVD risk factors (i.e., angina pectoris, type A behavior, life stressors, and vital exhaustion), except smoking. Fifty-six percent of these veterans were currently suffering from PTSD. They reported CVD risk factors, in particular type A behavior and vital exhaustion, more often than veterans without PTSD; they also reported more premorbid adverse living conditions. These data suggest that early sensitization to environmental stressors may be associated with a high prevalence of current PTSD and excess CVD risk factors in subjects exposed to extraordinary war-time trauma and that this may lead to vital exhaustion.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Anxiety, depression and anger in Dutch Resistance veterans from World War II.

In this study, 147 Dutch Resistance veterans from WW II are evaluated on psychometric instruments for anxiety, depression and anger. Resistance veterans appeared to be more anxious, depressive and angry on these instruments compared to controls from the validation studies of the respective instruments. Veterans currently suffering from PTSD (56%) were significantly more anxious, depressed, and angry than veterans without PTSD. With respect to staying in Nazi concentration camps, which is an extremely severe stressor, and in which half of the veterans were imprisoned, no difference on the three instruments was found. Anxiety, depression and anger were observed to be highly interrelated in PTSD. The close interrelationship between anxiety and depression, anxiety and danger, and depression and anger mediated by way of anxiety is, however, not unique for traumatized subjects. It is argued that for Resistance veterans only the intrusive reminiscences of the stressful events discriminate this constellation of symptoms from subjects with an anxious-depressive symptomatology.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

Some cerebral proteins and enzyme systems in Alzheimer's presenile and senile dementia.

The water-soluble proteins of the cerebral gray matter and some enzyme systems (cholinesterase, acetylcholinesterase, lactate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase) were studied in 9 autopsy cases of Alzheimer's presenile or senile dementia, 1 case of Pick's disease and 1 case of cerebral arteriosclerosis. The proteins and enzyme patterns were visualized on polyacrylamide gradient gels after electrophoresis. In all patients studied, the profiles of cerebral gray-matter proteins were normal. In the patients with advanced dementia, the enzyme patterns usually were abnormal. Particularly in Alzheimer's disease, the activity of malate dehydrogenase was markedly increased.

Acetylcholinesterase↗