Post-traumatic stress disorder symptom duration and remission in relation to cardiovascular disease risk among a large cohort of women.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Prior studies suggest that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but effects of duration and remission of PTSD symptoms have rarely been evaluated.

Method

We examined the association of time-updated PTSD symptom severity, remission and duration with incident CVD risk (552 confirmed myocardial infarctions or strokes) over 20 years in 49 859 women in the Nurses' Health Study II. Among women who reported trauma on the Brief Trauma Questionnaire, PTSD symptoms, assessed by a screener, were classified by symptom severity and chronicity: (a) no symptoms, (b) 1-3 ongoing, (c) 4-5 ongoing, (d) 6-7 ongoing, (e) 1-3 remitted, (f) 4-7 remitted symptoms. Inverse probability weighting was used to estimate marginal

SUBMITTER: Gilsanz P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5429192 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature