Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Predict Onset of Cardiovascular Events in Women.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Psychological stress is a proposed risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the sentinel stress-related mental disorder, occurs twice as frequently in women as men. However, whether PTSD contributes to CVD risk in women is not established.

Methods and results

We examined trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in relation to incident CVD over a 20-year period in 49 978 women in the Nurses' Health Study II. Proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for CVD events confirmed by additional information or medical record review (n=548, including myocardial infarction [n=277] and stroke [n=271]). Trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms were assessed by using the Brief Trauma Questionnaire and a PTS

SUBMITTER: Sumner JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4519406 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature