Authors
Viola Vaccarino, Jack Goldberg, Cherie Rooks, Amit J Shah, Emir Veledar, Tracy L Faber, John R Votaw, Christopher W Forsberg, J Douglas Bremner
Publication date
2013/9/10
Journal
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Volume
62
Issue
11
Pages
970-978
Publisher
American College of Cardiology Foundation
Description
Objectives
The aim of this study was to determine whether post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) using a prospective twin study design and objective measures of CHD.
Background
It has long been hypothesized that PTSD increases the risk of CHD, but empirical evidence using objective measures is limited.
Methods
We conducted a prospective study of middle-aged male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Among twin pairs without self-reported CHD at baseline, we selected pairs discordant for a lifetime history of PTSD, pairs discordant for a lifetime history of major depression, and pairs without either condition. All underwent a clinic visit after a median follow-up of 13 years. Outcomes included clinical events (myocardial infarction, other hospitalizations for CHD and coronary revascularization) and quantitative measures of myocardial perfusion by [13N …
Scholar articles
V Vaccarino, J Goldberg, C Rooks, AJ Shah, E Veledar… - Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2013