Study shows how high cardiovascular diseases are linked to stress-related disorders

Stress-related disorders which arise out of trauma are associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, founds a new study.

The study was published in the Journal 'The BMJ'.

Cardiovascular mishaps like cardiac arrest or an attack were high in the first six months after stress-related disorders were diagnosed.

Researchers used the Swedish population and health registers to explore the role of clinically diagnosed PTSD, acute stress reaction, adjustment disorder, and other stress reactions in the development of CVD.

They controlled for family background, medical history, and underlying psychiatric conditions.

The researchers matched 136,637 people from an "exposed cohort" who were diagnosed with a stress-related disorder between January 1987 and December 2013 with 171,314 full siblings who were free of stress-related disorders and CVD.

Severe stress reactions to significant life events or trauma were linked to a heightened risk of several types of CVD, especially during the first year after diagnosis, with a 64% higher risk among people with a stress-related disorder compared to their unaffected sibling.

Out of all studied CVDs, the excess risk during the first year was strongest for heart failure and for major blood clots (embolism and thrombosis) after one year.

"These findings call for enhanced clinical awareness and, if verified, monitoring or early intervention among patients with recently diagnosed stress-related disorders," authors concluded.