Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the Risk of Heart Failure Hospitalizations Among Individuals With Coronary Artery Disease

BACKGROUND:Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with maladaptive dysregulation of stress response systems, which could lead to an increased risk of heart failure. We investigated whether PTSD was independently associated with first and recurrent heart failure hospitalizations in the setting of coronary artery disease.METHODS:Individuals with stable coronary artery disease and without heart failure at baseline were enrolled in 2 parallel prospective cohort studies in metropolitan Atlanta, GA. Participants underwent a structured clinical interview to assess their lifetime history of PTSD. Current PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PTSD symptom checklist. Participants were followed up for a median time of 4.9 years. The primary end point was first or recurrent hospitalization for heart failure. Secondary end points included cardiovascular death and nonfatal myocardial infarction with and without hospitalization for heart failure. Survival analysis for repeated events was used to assess the association of PTSD with adverse events.RESULTS:We studied 736 individuals with a mean age of 60 +/- 10 years; 36% were Black, and 35% were women. In total, 69 (9.4%) patients met the criteria for PTSD. Having a PTSD diagnosis was associated with the primary end point of first or recurrent heart failure hospitalizations, with a hazard ratio of 4.4 (95% CI, 2.6-7.3). The results were minimally attenuated after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors (hazard ratio, 3.7 [95% CI, 2.1-6.3]). Similarly, a 10-point increase in the PTSD symptom checklist score was associated with a 30% (95% CI, 10%-50%) increase in heart failure hospitalizations. PTSD was not associated with an end point of cardiovascular death or nonfatal myocardial infarction, which excluded hospitalizations due to heart failure.CONCLUSIONS:Among patients with coronary artery disease, PTSD is associated with incident and recurrent heart failure hospitalizations. Future research is needed to investigate whether PTSD management can reduce the risk of heart failure.