Intense dust cloud inhalation, as well as PTSD, experienced by first responders and community members present at the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in New York are associated with a significant increased risk for systemic autoimmune disease, including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, according to findings published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

“We began to explore this topic for a number of reasons,” Sara A. Miller-Archie, MPH, and James E. Cone, MD, MPH, both of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told Healio Rheumatology in an interview. “First, we had been approached by enrollees in the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) who were concerned about autoimmune diseases in their community. Second, we knew that prior studies had linked components of the 9/11 dust cloud to autoimmune diseases in other populations with different exposures.”

“We also knew of multiple studies that had observed an association between PTSD, which is one of the most common 9/11-associated mental health conditions, to the onset of autoimmune disease,” they added. “Third, researchers at the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) had found that — among their firefighters and EMS personnel who had been part of the 9/11 rescue, recovery, and clean-up effort — those with prolonged work duration or more intense exposure were more likely to develop a post-9/11 systemic autoimmune disease.”

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