PTSD And Heart Attack: Health Issue Increases Risk Of Heart Disease In Women

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women may increase their risk of heart disease, according to a recent study.

Researchers found that women who had four or more PTSD-related symptoms following a traumatic event had a 60 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack or stroke, when compared to female counterparts who had not dealt with a traumatic history.

Statistics show that nearly 8 million American adults are affected by PTSD, with symptoms ranging from the re-experiencing of a traumatic event, avoiding reminders of trauma and increased anxiety of emotional arousal, particularly based on certain triggers.

For the study, researchers collected data from nearly 50,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study II.

Findings revealed that when four or more PTSD symptoms were present, participants had a 60 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to counterparts who were not exposed to traumatic events. Furthermore, for participants without PTSD symptoms but who still reported traumatic events, they held a 45 percent higher rate of cardiovascular disease.

The study results also showed that nearly half of the association between elevated PTSD symptoms and cardiovascular disease was accounted for by unhealthy behaviors, including but not limited to obesity, lack of exercise, smoking and other medical factors like high blood pressure.

"PTSD is generally considered a psychological problem, but the take-home message from our findings is that it also has a profound impact on physical health, especially cardiovascular risk," concluded first study author Jennifer Sumner, Ph.D., Epidemiology Merit Fellow at Columbia's Mailman School and Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School, via Health Day. "This is not exclusively a mental problem -- it's a potentially deadly problem of the body as well."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Circulation.

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