A new study suggests that post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) in women can increase their risk of incurring heart disease.
The study came out in JAMA's Circulation and is based on the work of investigators from Columbia University, led by Jennifer Sumner. It found that women who have been through traumatic events or have developed PTSD are significantly at risk of developing heart disease compared with women who don't have a history of trauma.
Previous studies suggested a connection between cardiovascular events and PTSD, specifically in male war veterans. Sumner and her team wanted to find out if the same connection existed among women, who appeared to be at higher risk of PTSD.
"Our study is the first to look at trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms and new cases of cardiovascular disease in a general population sample of women," a report from Health Day quoted Sumner as saying
Researchers studied 55,000 women who were part of the Nurse's Health Study II, a women's health study that began in 1989. Women were asked to fill out a questionnaire about traumatic events that they had been through in the past 20 years. This survey was conducted in 2008.
The women were also asked if they had experienced PTSD symptoms, which included getting nightmares of the trauma, insomnia, irritability and getting startled easily.
The study revealed that women had experienced traumatic events and at least four symptoms of PTSD have a 60% chance of developing into a heart attack or stroke.
The researchers aim to conduct future studies to explore how different methods of intervention can cut the risk. "It will be important to examine whether successful PTSD treatment has a positive impact on cardiovascular health," the team wrote in their report.
Sumner told Live Science that the study suggested that the effects of PTSD went beyond mental health and could also affect women's physical health.
