PTSD increases risk for major adverse cardiovascular events through neural and cardio-inflammatory pathways

This study included N = 118,827 participants from a large hospital-based biobank. Demographic, diagnostic, and medical history data collected from the biobank. SNA (n = 1,520), heart rate variability (HRV; [n = 11,463]), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP; [n = 15,164]) were obtained for a subset of participants. PTSD predicted MACE after adjusting for traditional MACE risk factors (hazard ratio (HR) [95 % confidence interval (CI)] = 1.317 [1.098, 1.580], β = 0.276, p = 0.003). The PTSD-to-MACE association was mediated by SNA (CI = 0.005, 0.133, p < 0.05), HRV (CI = 0.024, 0.056, p < 0.05), and hs-CRP (CI = 0.010, 0.040, p < 0.05). This study provides evidence that neuro-immune pathways may play important roles in the mechanisms linking PTSD to MACE. Future studies are needed to determine if these markers are relevant targets for PTSD treatment and if improvements in SNA, HRV, and hs-CRP associate with reduced MACE risk in this patient population.PMID:38218349 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbi.2024.01.006

Source: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - January 13, 2024 Category: Neurology Authors: Antonia V Seligowski Simran S Grewal Shady Abohashem Hadil Zureigat Iqra Qamar Wesam Aldosoky Charbel Gharios Erin Hanlon Omar Alani Sandeep C Bollepalli Antonis Armoundas Zahi A Fayad Lisa M Shin Michael T Osborne Ahmed Tawakol Source Type: research