Police officers who worked at the World Trade Center site in the weeks following its collapse from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack may be at greater risk for impaired heart function than other people, a study found. As many as 60 percent of police officers who worked at or near the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11 attacks had a condition in which the heart muscle doesn't fully relax after pumping blood, according to a study to be presented March 15 at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Atlanta. The abnormality can lead to other heart ailments, researchers said.
That disorder, called impaired diastolic function, was seen in just 8 percent of the people of a similar age range in separate studies conducted in Belgium and Minnesota. Further research is needed to determine whether the higher rates in police officers is a result of working at the World Trade Center site or from other factors, such as job stress or living in an urban setting, said Lori Croft, the study's author.
“Under age 50 this is really uncommon,' said Croft, assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in an interview. “It may have something to do with working at the World Trade Center.'
Researchers at Mount Sinai in New York examined the heart health of 1,191 law enforcement officers with an average age of 45 who worked at the World Trade Center site at some point during the three weeks following the terrorist attacks. The heart abnormality seen in the officers is typically found in people over age 65 and is believed to be associated with aging, said Croft.
Separate research has found an increase in asthma and lung disorders among first responders that may be linked to the dust and debris inhaled at the site. New York City is being sued by thousands of ground zero workers who claim they have illnesses or injuries related to working at the site.
The research was funded by the Fraternal Order of Police of New York.