PTSD Linked with Higher Heart Disease Risk

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may increase the risk of heart disease, a new study suggests. The study included 562 male twins. All were part of a health registry of veterans from the Vietnam era. The men were an average of 42 years old and did not have heart disease when the study began. In the next 13 years, about 23% of men with PTSD developed heart disease. The rate was 9% among those without PTSD. Heart disease was defined as having a heart attack, other heart-related hospital stay or a procedure to open clogged arteries. Researchers also compared twin pairs in which one had PTSD and the other did not. The twins with PTSD were twice as likely to develop heart disease. Researchers adjusted their numbers for lifestyle factors that affect heart disease risk, such as smoking and exercise patterns. The differences for those with PTSD remained.