Mental health conditions after trauma linked to higher cardiovascular risk
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Mental health conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, depression and anxiety, can develop after people experience trauma. These conditions may contribute to a higher future risk of cardiovascular events, such as nonfatal heart attacks and strokes or cardiovascular death, according to new, independent research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
"Traumatic events are common experiences and can include serious fires or explosions, physical assault, transportation accidents, the suicide or death of a loved one, and severe medical illnesses or injuries," said lead study author Jennifer A. Sumner, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Experiencing traumatic events can significantly affect mental health as well as cardiovascular health. Although most work to date has focused on PTSD and cardiovascular health, our research suggests that we should think about a wide range of mental health consequences when looking at cardiovascular disease risk after trauma."
Researchers examined national health registries in Denmark to study how a variety of diagnosed mental health conditions that occurred within three years after a traumatic event were linked to cardiovascular death, heart attacks, strokes or procedures to restore blood flow to the heart.
They conducted a study of adults who did and did not develop major heart or brain conditions following a traumatic event. The goal was to find out which mental health conditions after trauma exposure were the strongest indicators of subsequent cardiovascular outcomes, including procedures to restore blood flow to the heart, heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death, separately in men and women. A wide range of mental health conditions were considered as possible cardiovascular predictors, and machine learning was used to identify the 15 most important mental health disorder predictors of these heart and brain outcomes.
The analysis found:
- Alcohol abuse was the most important mental health risk linked to serious heart or brain conditions for men and women.
- Mood disorders, like depression, were strong indicators of posttraumatic psychiatric issues associated with cardiovascular outcomes for both men and women. However, these mood disorders were more prominent predictors for women than for men.
- Other psychological conditions that can arise after trauma exposure that were connected to a higher risk of heart and brain conditions in the future included PTSD, mental disorders caused by brain or physical issues, non-substance-induced confusion, different substance use disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders.
Researchers were surprised to find that alcohol abuse was the top psychiatric predictor of serious heart and brain conditions for both men and women.
"After a traumatic life experience, individuals may turn to alcohol to cope and help manage their emotions," Sumner said. "Over time, this new behavior might develop into alcohol abuse, thus increasing their risk of a serious heart or brain condition."
Glenn N. Levine, M.D., FAHA, chair of the 2025 American Heart Association scientific statement Post–Myocardial Infarction Psychological Distress writing group, said, "Traumatic experiences that lead to mental health disorders can have lasting effects on the risk of developing heart disease. By recognizing trauma, seeking mental health support and managing cardiovascular risk factors, we may help mitigate this risk." Levine, who was not involved in this study, is also a master clinician and professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and Cardiology Section Chief at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, both in Houston.
"This study provides additional data emphasizing the links and interdependence between psychological and cardiovascular health and risk."
"This study is unique in that it covers a wide range of traumatic experiences and considers a variety of mental health conditions that can start after these events as potential predictors of cardiovascular disease," Sumner said. "Ultimately, recognizing and treating a variety of psychiatric conditions resulting from trauma is important, and it may have positive effects on both mental and cardiovascular health over the long term."
Study details, background, design and limitations:
- The study examined health data for 219,866 adults in Denmark ages 18 and older from 1995 to 2019.
- 43,994 of the 219,866 participants experienced a nonfatal heart attack, nonfatal stroke, procedures to restore blood flow to the heart or cardiovascular death between 1995 and 2019.
- The researchers compared 175,872 people who experienced a trauma but not a cardiovascular event with peers who experienced a heart attack, stroke, procedures to restore blood flow to the heart or cardiovascular death during the 24-year period.
- The national health care system in Denmark provides free health care for all residents, and the results from this analysis of people in Denmark may not apply to other groups of people living in other countries or regions. Another limitation is that the study did not explore why individuals with these posttraumatic mental disorders may have an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.
Publication details
Post-traumatic Psychopathology and Cardiovascular Risk: A Danish Case– Control Study of Sex-Specific Associations, Journal of the American Heart Association (2026). DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.126.049492
Journal information: Journal of the American Heart Association
Key medical concepts
Abuse, AlcoholPsychological TraumaMood DisordersPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Clinical categories
PsychiatryCardiologyPsychology & Mental healthCommon illnesses & Prevention Provided by American Heart Association Who's behind this story?
Gaby Clark
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