Abstract 014: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Mental Stress-induced Myocardial Ischemia And Cardiovascular Outcomes In Patients With CAD

Abstract

Introduction: Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSI) is a risk marker for adverse outcomes among coronary artery disease (CAD) that is more prevalent among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hypothesis: CAD patients with PTSD who develop MSI experience a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events compared with those who do not develop MSI. Methods: We studied 995 individuals with stable CAD who participated in two contemporary cohort studies with similar protocols, the Mental Stress Ischemia Prognosis Study (MIPS), and the Myocardial Infarction and Mental Stress Study (MIMS). Provocation of myocardial ischemia with a standardized mental stress test (speech task) was assessed with single-photon emission computed tomography. PTSD was assessed with the structured clinical interviews for DSM-IV. Participants were categorized into four groups based on their MSI and PTSD status. The primary endpoint was a composite outcome of cardiovascular death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or heart failure hospitalization. Cox regression models were used to investigate the interaction of PTSD and MSI on the study endpoint in the two samples pooled with meta-analysis. Results: In total, 603 participants in MIPS and 392 in MIMS were included. MSI occurred in 16% of the patients in MIPS and 17% in MIMS. Over a 5-year median follow-up, there were 126 outcome events in MIPS and 117 in MIMS. In Cox regression models with adjustment for demographic and clinical risk factors, participants with both MSI and PTSD had a higher risk for the study endpoint, compared to those with neither. In contrast, participants with PTSD or MSI but not both were not at a higher risk ( p interaction=0.01). Separate analyses in the two studies were consistent. Conclusions: There is a synergistic association of PTSD and MSI on adverse outcomes in CAD patients. These findings support the confluence of chronic mental health vulnerability with acute stress responses in defining elevated risk in CAD patients.patients.