Stress-related disorders linked to heightened risk of cardiovascular disease
Risk is particularly high during the first year after diagnosis
April 10, 2019
Science Daily/BMJ
Stress related disorders -- conditions triggered by a significant life event or trauma -- may be linked to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), finds a large Swedish study published in The BMJ today.
The risk of severe and acute CVD events, such as cardiac arrest and heart attack, was particularly high in the first six months after diagnosis of a stress related disorder, and within the first year for other types of CVD.
Most people are, at some point during their life, exposed to psychological trauma or stressful life events such as the death of a loved one, a diagnosis of a life threatening illness, natural disasters, or violence, write the authors.
And there is building evidence which suggests that severe stress reactions to significant life events or trauma are linked to the development of CVD.
But previous studies have mainly focused on male veterans or those currently active in the military with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or PTSD symptoms. And because of the smaller size of these samples, data on the effects of stress reactions on different types of CVD are limited.
So to shed some light on this, researchers used Swedish population and health registers to explore the role of clinically diagnosed PTSD, acute stress reaction, adjustment disorder, and other stress reactions in the development of CVD.
They controlled for family background, medical history, and underlying psychiatric conditions.
The researchers matched 136,637 people from an "exposed cohort" who were diagnosed with a stress related disorder between January 1987 and December 2013 with 171,314 full siblings who were free of stress related disorders and CVD.
For each exposed person, 10 people from the general population who were unaffected by stress related disorders and CVD at the date of diagnosis of the "exposed" patient were randomly selected.
Exposed and unexposed people were then individually matched by birth year and sex.
Severe stress reactions to significant life events or trauma were linked to a heightened risk of several types of CVD, especially during the first year after diagnosis, with a 64% higher risk among people with a stress related disorder compared to their unaffected sibling.
The findings were similar for people with a stress related disorder compared to the general population.
And there was a stronger link between stress related disorders and early onset CVD -- cases of disease which developed before the age of 50 -- than later onset ones.
Out of all studied CVDs, the excess risk during the first year was strongest for heart failure, and for major blood clots (embolism and thrombosis) after one year.
There were similar associations across sex, calendar period, medical history, and family history of CVD. But those who were diagnosed with a stress disorder at a younger age had a heightened risk of CVD.
This is an observational study based on the Swedish population and, as such, can't establish cause. The authors point out evidence from other studies suggesting a biological link between severe stress reactions and cardiovascular disease development. And they can't rule out the role of other unmeasured behavioural factors, such as smoking and alcohol intake.
But they say that their study is the first to explore the association between a number of stress related disorders, including but not limited to PTSD, and several types of CVD using sibling-based comparisons, among both men and women.
And doctors need to be aware of the "robust" link between stress related disorders and a higher subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly during the months after diagnosis, they add.
"These findings call for enhanced clinical awareness and, if verified, monitoring or early intervention among patients with recently diagnosed stress related disorders," they conclude.
In a linked editorial, Professor Simon Bacon from Concordia University in Canada, says that the design of the study "allows us to make reasonable assumptions about the similarity of the environment, lifestyles, and health behaviours between those with a disorder and their paired siblings without one. Such assumptions allow inferences about other alternative potential pathways linking these disorders to CVD outcomes."
In the future, well designed studies evaluating more appropriate interventions will be critical, not only to confirm the inferences of the new study but also to provide real benefits to patients," he concludes.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190410210000.htm
PTSD alone didn't increase heart disease risk in veterans with PTSD
February 13, 2019
Science Daily/American Heart Association
Coexisting medical conditions, psychiatric disorders, heavy smoking and illicit drug use may explain the increased risk for heart disease among veterans with PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by itself does not explain the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in veterans with this condition. A combination of physical disorders, psychiatric disorders and smoking, that are more common in patients with PTSD, may explain the association, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
Researchers examined whether one, or a combination of heart disease risk factors common in those with PTSD, can explain the association between PTSD and cardiovascular disease. They reviewed electronic health records of 2,519 Veterans Affairs (VA) patients diagnosed with PTSD and 1,659 without PTSD. Participants were aged 30-70 (87 percent male; 60 percent white), had no cardiovascular disease diagnoses for 12 months prior and were followed for at least three years.
Researchers found:
Among VA patients, those diagnosed with PTSD were 41 percent more likely to develop circulatory and heart disease than those without PTSD.
Smoking, depression, other anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and cholesterol, were significantly more prevalent among patients with PTSD than those without.
No single comorbid condition explained the association between PTSD and incident cardiovascular disease, after adjusting for a combination of physical and psychiatric disorders, smoking, sleep disorder, substance use disorders, PTSD was not associated with new cases of cardiovascular disease.
"This suggests there is no single comorbidity or behavior that explains the link between PTSD and cardiovascular disease," said study lead author Jeffrey Scherrer, Ph.D., professor and director, Division of Research in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri. "Instead, a combination of physical disorders, psychiatric disorders and smoking -- that are more common in patients with PTSD versus without PTSD -- appear to explain the association between PTSD and developing cardiovascular disease."
Researchers cautioned that the results may not be generalized to patients older than 70 or to non-veteran populations. In addition, the study did not measure lifetime cardiovascular disease risk; therefore, the association between PTSD and risk of cardiovascular disease over many decades may differ from the present results.
"For veterans, and likely non-veterans, heart disease prevention efforts should focus on helping patients reduce weight, control high blood pressure, cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety disorders, sleep problems, substance abuse and smoking," Scherrer said. "That is a long list, and for patients with many of these conditions it is challenging yet important to manage all of them."
"Recognizing that PTSD does not preordain cardiovascular disease may empower patients to seek care to prevent and/or manage CVD risk factors," Scherrer said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190213081642.htm