Does PTSD really hurt the hearts of veterans? – WebMD

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) – In itself, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) does not increase the risk of heart disease for US veterans, says a new study.

"Instead, a combination of physical disorders, psychiatric disorders and smoking – which are more common in patients with PTSD compared to those without PTSD – seems to explain the badociation between PTSD and the development of PTSD. A cardiovascular disease, "said author of the study, Jeffrey Scherrer. He is a research director in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of St. Louis, Missouri.

For the study, Scherrer and his colleagues badyzed the medical records of more than 2,500 veterans with PTSD and more than 1,600 without PTSD. Veterans were aged 30 to 70 and had not been diagnosed with heart disease in the previous 12 months. Participants in the study were followed for at least three years.

During this period, veterans with PTSD were 41% more likely to develop circulatory and cardiac disease than those without PTSD.

People with PTSD had significantly higher rates of smoking, depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension and cholesterol compared to people with not suffering from post-traumatic stress.

However, no disease has explained the badociation between PTSD and heart disease, according to the study published online Feb. 13. Journal of the American Heart Association.

The results may not apply to patients over 70 years of age or to civilians, said the study's authors. In addition, researchers have not badessed the risk of heart disease over the course of life, its relationship with PTSD over several decades could be different.

"For veterans, and probably non-veterans, heart disease prevention efforts should aim to help patients lose weight, control blood pressure, cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, addiction and smoking, "Scherrer told a press release.

Although this list is long, he said it was important that all patients with many conditions manage them.

"Recognizing that PTSD does not prevail over cardiovascular disease can enable patients to seek care to prevent and / or manage [heart disease] risk factors, "said Scherrer.