Every year, sixteen people in Groningen die prematurely as a result of stress from the earthquakes in the area and the related damage. This is according to research by the University of Groningen.
The sixteen people (with a range of 11 to 21) are significantly more than the estimated five premature deaths known so far. Under the heading ‘Gronings Perspectief’, the University of Groningen has been researching earthquakes in the area and what it does to people for years.
The people of Groningen who die prematurely all have damage or multiple damage to their home. That is what research leader Tom Postmes tells in a podcast of the NOS about gas production. According to Postmes, complaints are sometimes so severe that people suffer serious damage to their health.
Anxiety Disorder and Depression
The estimate of the number of premature deaths was made after research by the GGD, which investigated how people experience their own health. This has been combined with knowledge about the consequences of this for mortality in the longer term. Only a small part of the people of Groningen are under severe stress due to earthquake damage. Yet there are so many claims that thousands of people have stress-related complaints.
In some cases, these complaints are so severe that people develop a depression or anxiety disorder. Physical complaints such as headaches, insomnia, palpitations and stomach problems are also common, explains Postmes. According to the researchers, such complaints lead to a slightly increased risk of death, for example from cardiovascular disease or suicide.
The fact that five premature deaths were assumed in previous reports, according to Postmes, is due to the fact that earlier research indicated the lower limit. This time the numbers are an estimate of the average.
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