Ischemic Stroke Following Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a Worker Under Conditions of Servitude – A Case Report of a Work-Related Health Condition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33637/2595-847x.2025-299Keywords:
Post-traumatic stress, Stroke, Contemporary slave labor, Work related diseaseAbstract
This study presents a case report of a Uruguayan female worker who was rescued from a situation analogous to slavery in the context of domestic work in the interior of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The patient was subjected to extreme vulnerability: deprivation of liberty, social isolation, non-payment of wages, threats, symbolic violence, witnessing physical and sexual assaults against another worker, and concealment of her real situation from healthcare services. After experiencing intense psychosocial stress and abuse, she developed an ischemic stroke (AVCi) and severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The study links the clinical narrative to neuroscientific knowledge about the effects of chronic stress and PTSD, demonstrating the association between prolonged exposure to traumatic situations, neurobiological alterations (such as dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis - HPA and glutamatergic signaling), and increased cardiovascular risk, particularly stroke. Recent systematic reviews and longitudinal studies support this association, indicating that PTSD is an independent risk factor for cerebrovascular events. The case highlights the complexity of physical and psychological illness associated with labor in conditions analogous to slavery, emphasizing the need for intersectoral approaches and employer accountability. It reinforces the urgency of public policies for prevention, support, reparation, and reintegration of victims, as well as the expansion of empirical studies on the health impacts faced by workers rescued from contemporary forms of servitude in Brazil.
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