Childhood abuse ‘quickens ageing’

BBC News released an article: “Childhood abuse ‘quickens ageing.'”

Here are some excerpts:

[begin excerpts]

Physical or emotional abuse during childhood could speed up the body’s
ageing process, US research suggests.

A team from Brown University focused on telomeres, the protective caps
on the chromosomes that keep a cell’s DNA stable but shorten with age.

They found the telomeres of 31 people who had reported abuse as children
tended to shorten more rapidly, speeding up cells’ ageing process.

Experts cautioned that the study needed to be replicated on a larger scale.

The study is featured in Biological Psychiatry.

Lead researcher Dr Audrey Tyrka said: “It gives us a hint that early
developmental experiences may have profound effects on biology that can
influence cellular mechanisms at a very basic level.”

 

Traumatic Childhood Might Take Years Off Adult Life

 

The *American Journal of Preventive Medicine* issued the following news

release about a study to appear in the November issue:

Traumatic Childhood Might Take Years Off Adult Life

Many U.S. children face a terrible burden of stressors that can harm the

development of their brains and nervous systems.

These stressors can lead to health problems and diseases throughout

their lives, ultimately causing some to die prematurely, according to

the lead author of a new study.

David W. Brown., D.Sc., an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), and colleagues found that children who

were exposed to six or more “adverse childhood experiences” or ACEs were

at double the risk of premature death compared to children who had not

suffered these experiences.

On average, the children at highest risk eventually died at age 60,

compared to low-risk children who lived to age 79.

The study appears in the November issue of the American Journal of

Preventive Medicine.

 

Effect of Abuse History on Pain Reports

*Gastroenterology* (vol. 134, #2, February, 2008 )
includes a study: “Effect of Abuse History on Pain Reports and Brain
Responses to Aversive Visceral Stimulation: An fMRI Study.”

The article is by Yehuda Ringel, Douglas A. Drossman, Jane L. Leserman,
Brandall Y. Suyenobu, Kathy Wilber, Weili Lin, William E. Whitehead,
Bruce D. Naliboff, Steven Berman, & Emeran A. Mayer.

Here’s the abstract:

Background & Aims:

Abuse history is common in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and is
associated with greater pain reporting, psychologic distress, and poorer
health outcome. These effects may be mediated by enhanced responses to
aversive visceral stimuli. We investigated the effects of IBS and abuse
history on pain reporting and brain activation in response to rectal
distentions.