Patients with stress disorders may be more vulnerable to potentially life-threatening infections, especially if they are diagnosed at younger ages or dealing with other psychiatric issues, a study suggests.

Researchers examined data on 144,919 people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress reaction, adjustment disorder, and other stress reactions.

They also looked at data for 184,612 siblings of these subjects who didn’t have a stress disorder, along with more than 1.4 million unrelated individuals without these disorders.

After an average follow-up of eight years, the annual incidence of life-threatening infections was 2.9 in every 1,000 people with stress disorders, compared with 1.7 in every 1000 siblings and 1.3 in every 1000 unrelated individuals.