Post-traumatic stress disorder as a predictor for incident hypertension: a 3-year retrospective cohort study

Autor: Mauro V. Mendlowicz, Maria Luiza Garcia-Rosa, Carla Marques-Portela, Marcio Gekker, William Berger, Paulo Roberto Telles Pires-Dias, Mariana Pires Luz, Ivan Figueira, Larissa Wermelinger, Victoria Mendlowicz
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Psychological Medicine. 53:132-139
ISSN: 1469-8978
0033-2917
Popis: BackgroundThe goal of the present study was to investigate the association between PTSD and the onset of hypertension in previously normotensive individuals in a population living in the stressful environment of the urban slums while controlling for risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).MethodsParticipants were 320 normotensive individuals who lived in slums and were attending a family doctor program. Measurements included a questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, clinical status and life habits, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Civilian Version, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Incident hypertension was defined as the first occurrence at the follow-up review of the medical records of (1) systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher, (2) the participant started taking antihypertensive medication, or (3) a new diagnosis of hypertension made by a physician. Differences in sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics between hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals were compared using the χ2 and t tests. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsSix variables – age, educational level, body mass, smoking, diabetes, and PTSD diagnosis – showed a statistically significant (p ≤ 0.20) association with the hypertensive status. In the Cox regression, only PTSD diagnosis was significantly associated with incident hypertension (multivariate HR = 1.94; 95% CI 1.11–3.40).ConclusionsThe present findings highlight the importance of considering a diagnostic hypothesis of PTSD in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Databáze: OpenAIRE