Traumatic brain injury, PTSD increases the risk of heart attack in veterans

In a new study, researchers at the Kansas City VA Medical Center examined data from 1998 to 2014 on more than one million veterans who participated in the Gulf War or the war between Iraq and Afghanistan.

After adjusting for various risk factors, the study found that the risk of having a heart attack was particularly high in veterans with TBI, more than 2.5 times higher than in veterans without TBI or PTSD. Veterinarians with PTSD were more than 1.5 times more likely to have a heart attack than veterinarians without PTSD or TBI.

Findings presented at the American Heart Association’s Virtual Science session starting Friday will be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“The results themselves weren’t surprising, but what surprised me was the strength of the association,” said Dr. Rishi Sharma, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri’s Kansas City School of Medicine. “I didn’t expect the effect to be so noticeable.”

He said some veterans who had a heart attack were in their 40s, well below the average age of 66 for men and 72 for women who had the first heart attack.

“People in their 40s may not think they are at risk for heart disease, but this study shows that PTSD or TBI veterans need to be careful,” he said. .. “Healthcare professionals need to start screening and evaluation earlier than the general population and refer them to cardiologists as needed.”

The study couldn’t prove the cause and effect because the researchers were observing historical data, Sharma said. He hasn’t investigated why people with PTSD or TBI have a heart attack, but he said the results shed more light on what is called the “heart-to-brain connection.”

“Studies have shown that changes in the brain for any reason, such as stroke, TBI, PTSD, or seizures, can have a direct impact on the heart,” to identify how and why the damage occurs. Sharma, who sought future research on the subject, said. “Stressed brain cells release epinephrine or adrenaline, which affects cardiac cell receptors and can cause problems such as arrhythmias and heart attacks.”

Dr. Mark Milnsky, Dean of the Department of Cardiology at Orlando VA Healthcare System, said the current study adds “nuances” to topics that still have many unanswered questions.

Milnskey, who was not involved in the new study, said whether PTSD or TBI would act as the sole driver of heart attacks in veterans, or whether other risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure would be involved. He said it was still unknown.

“Further research is needed to determine the risk and develop clinical guidelines for interventions to reduce the incidence of heart attacks,” said a veteran.

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