PTSD raises risk of heart disease for women

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/post.traumatic.disorder.ptsd.raises.heart.disease.risk.for.women/57707.htm

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