Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A12063-A12063, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Antidepressants, namely selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), are efficacious in reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, but their implications for cardiovascular health are unclear. Although SSRI/SNRI treatment could improve PTSD—thus decreasing cardiovascular risk, antidepressant use has also predicted cardiovascular events. This study examined if antidepressant use was associated with developing ischemic heart disease (IHD) in women veterans with PTSD.Methods:The Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic health record (EHR) database was used to identify women veterans with PTSD who engaged with VA healthcare from 2000-2019. Antidepressant use (documented in the EHR) was categorized as SSRIs, SNRIs, both SSRIs/SNRIs, other, or none (ref). We used Cox regression with time-varying exposure and covariates to estimate effects of antidepressants on risk of incident IHD (angina, MI, CAD). Once a woman was exposed to antidepressants, she was considered exposed until IHD onset or censoring. Age, race, ethnicity, and a range of time-varying risk factors [traditional risk factors (e.g., hypertension), other medical risk factors (e.g., obesity), women-specific risk factors (e.g., preeclampsia), psychiatric risk factors (e.g., depression)], were covariates.Results:The analytic sample comprised 143,324 women without IHD at start of follow-up; mean age was 36.1 years (SD=11.0). Over a median follow-up of 8.6 years, there were 6,633 incident IHD cases. When adjusting for demographics and traditional IHD risk factors, exposure to SNRIs was associated with a 33% greater rate of IHD (95% CI: 1.24-1.43), SSRIs with a 27% greater rate (95% CI: 1.20-1.34), both SSRIs/SNRIs with a 59% greater rate (95% CI: 1.01-2.49), and other antidepressants with a 24% greater rate (95% CI: 1.17-1.31). Associations with SNRIs (HR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.12-1.30), SSRIs (HR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.09-1.22), and other antidepressants (HR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.13-1.26) remained significant in fully adjusted models.Conclusions:Antidepressant use in women veterans with PTSD may exacerbate risk of IHD. Mechanism-focused research and further work in women veterans without PTSD is also needed.
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Abstract 10098: Assessment of a Rate Pressure Product Target During Stress Echocardiograms in Patients With Advanced Cirrhosis
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A10098-A10098, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Dobutamine and exercise stress echo are routinely performed on patients with advanced cirrhosis though have low sensitivity in this patient population, even when target heart rate is achieved. This is in part due to their unique cardiovascular physiology which is frequently marked by reduced peripheral vascular resistance with low blood pressure, impaired chronotropic response to stress, hyperdynamic left ventricular systolic function and elevated cardiac output. In the general population, achieving a rate pressure product (RPP), defined as peak systolic blood pressure multiplied by peak heart rate, > 25,000 is typically considered a high level of stress and is an adequate workload to detect ischemia, however this has not been validated in patients with advanced cirrhosis. We aimed to assess the impact of achieving a RPP > 25,000 on the ability of stress echo to detect obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with advanced cirrhosis.Methods:We performed a case-control study on patients with advanced cirrhosis where 88 had and 97 did not have CAD based on invasive coronary angiography. A total of 159 patients (85.9%, 77 with CAD and 82 without) had dobutamine and 26 (14.1%, 11 with CAD and 15 without) had exercise as their stress modality. Continuous variables were compared by means of Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. Categorical variables were expressed as numbers and percentages and compared by means of chi-square and Fisher exact tests.Results:The average maximum RPP was 19,999 ± 4,969.4 with 32 patients (17.3%) achieving a RPP > 25,000 (14 with and 18 without CAD, P = 0.63). The average percent of maximum predicted HR (MPHR) achieved was 86.7 ± 9.2% with 136 patients (73.5%) achieving > 85% of MPHR. Achieving a maximum RPP > 25,000 (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.39 – 1.79, P = 0.63) or a MPHR > 85% (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.54 – 1.99, P = 0.92) did not improve the ability of stress echo to detect obstructive CAD.Conclusions:Achieving a maximum RPP > 25,000 did not improve the ability of stress echo to detect obstructive CAD in patients with advanced cirrhosis.
Abstract 14497: Predictors of Hypertensive Response During Stress Echocardiography
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A14497-A14497, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Hypertensive response during stress echocardiography has been predominately studied in a healthy population without many comorbidities, unlike the patients for which these tests are indicated. We performed a retrospective study identifying clinical predictors of hypertensive response to both exercise (EXE) and dobutamine (DSE) stress echo.Methods:Retrospective analysis was performed on all patients who underwent stress echo from January 1, 2015 to February 28, 2017 in a tertiary care academic center. Patient demographics, comorbidities, medications and stress echo parameters were evaluated. Patients were characterized based on stress echo completed as EXE or DSE. The primary outcome was hypertensive response.Results:4670 patients were enrolled: 1238 in the DSE group and 3432 in the EXE group. On multivariable analysis, only resting SBP remained a significant predictor of hypertensive response during DSE (odds ratio (OR) per 20mmHg 3.21, CI 1.57-6.59,p=.001) with an AUC of 0.76. On multivariable analysis, obesity (OR 2.27, CI 1.08-4.8,p=.03), diabetes (OR 3.24, CI 1.22-8.6,p=.02), resting SBP (OR 4.44, CI 2.35-8.38,p
Abstract 12932: Should We Screen For Radiotherapy-Induced Heart Disease With Exercise Stress Echocardiography? Emphasis on Major Adverse Cardiac Events
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A12932-A12932, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Exercise Stress Echocardiography (ESE) is recommended as a screening tool for the evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) in patients with suspected Radiation-Induced Heart Disease (RIHD). Up to now, studies have only evaluated its association with the extent of CAD.HypothesisCancer survivors treated with chest Radiotherapy (RT) that undergo an ESE and have a +ESE develop more MACE than those who have -ESE.Methods:A retrospective, descriptive, cohort study was conducted. Patients who had chest RT and underwent ESE with Treadmill Bruce Stress Protocol, from 2000 to 2012, at Mayo Clinic Rochester and Mayo Clinic Health System were included. A univariate analysis was performed to characterize the population. An analysis including Kruskal Wallis and Pearson Chi-Squared tests was completed to identify variables associated with + SE (Table 1). Multivariable Cox Model for MACE was conducted and is shown in Table 2. A time-to-event curve using Kaplan-Meier estimates is shown in Figure 1.Results:We identified 113 patients, with a mean age of 67 years and a median follow-up of 15.1 years. Of those, 99% were female, 98% were breast cancer survivors, 59% had HTN, 14% DM, 11% AFib, 2% COPD, and 12% had a history of MI. All the patients received >3000cGy of Photon RT, and 57% were treated with systemic cancer therapies. A +ESE was seen in 20.3% of the patients with no significant difference in METS achieved compared with patients who had a -ESE. COPD, RT dose, and systemic therapies, specifically doxorubicin, were associated with a +ESE. The cumulative incidence of MACE was higher in the group of +ESE (p=0.029). After adjustment for HTN, DM, smoking history, hyperlipidemia, and prior MI, the HR for MACE associated with a +ESE was 1.97 (1.09-3.59).Conclusion:MACE was more frequent in patients with a +ESE who received chest RT and doxorubicin versus -ESE. These results support the usefulness of ESE in cancer survivors after RT as a cardiovascular screening tool.
Abstract 10351: Racial Differences in Chronic Stress or Allostatic Load Variation Due to Androgen Deprivation Therapy in Prostate Cancer
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A10351-A10351, November 8, 2022. Introduction:The cumulative burden of chronic stress and life events can be measured by Allostatic load (AL), whose high values are related to poorer health outcomes and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The primary objective of this study is to analyze the impact of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on AL variation in patients upon diagnosis of prostate cancer (PC).Hypothesis:ADT may increase AL variation in prostate cancer patients.Methods:Data were obtained from a Cleveland area integrated health care systems informatics platform. The initial cohort included males ≥18 years diagnosed with PC between 2005 and 2022. AL was calculated using multiple markers representing the cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems (Table 1) before diagnosis and monthly during the first year. ADT use was captured based on prescribed medications. A linear-mixed-effects model, adjusted for patient demographics, CVD risk factors, and cancer characteristics, and treatment, was used to study AL monthly variation. The analysis was stratified by Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) race.Results:We analyzed a total of 7,168 PC adenocarcinoma patients (31.7% NHB vs 68.3% NHW), of which 20.9% received ADT. NHBs had higher AL pre-PC diagnosis than NHWs (p=0.001). AL monthly variation was 0.15 (±0.02) higher in all PC patients on ADT (p
Abstract 14778: Combined Shear Stress-Molecular Imaging for the Evaluation of Early Arterial Healing Responses Following Implantation of Bioresorbable Scaffold With Different Strut Thickness
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A14778-A14778, November 8, 2022. Introduction and Hypothesis:Arterial healing following stent implantation involves a series of biological reactions such as thrombosis, inflammation, neointimal regeneration. Clinical evidences have shown favorable arterial healing after thin-strut stents, however, there has been a lack ofin vivoimaging evidence on how strut thickness affect vascular healing process. We evaluated local endothelial shear stress (ESS) and healing response of a thin-strut bioresorbable scaffold (BRS, 100μm) compared to first-generation 157μm-thickness ABSORB.Methods and Results:BRS and ABSORB were simultaneously implanted in left coronary arteries of the same pigs (n=7). Detailed scaffolded-artery 3D model was reconstructed based on OCT and angiography. Scaffold-related inflammation response was serially assessed by dual-modal OCT-near-infrared fluorescence (OCT-NIRF) molecular imaging using macrophage-mannose receptor-Cy7 as an inflammation-targeting agent. On ESS analysis, regions with athero-prone low ESS were significantly greater in thick-ABSORB compared to BRS. Dual-modal OCT-NIRF imaging visualized arterial inflammation activity at peri-strut regionsin vivo(Figure). Based on coregistered ESS-NIRF data, we found a significant inverse correlation was found between ESS and NIRF activity (p
Abstract 14606: Accurate Detection of Acute Psychological Stress Events Using Single Lead ECG Data
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A14606-A14606, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Stress has been linked to numerous health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and mental health issues. By monitoring changes in physiological signals, such as heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), wearable biosensing technology allows acute stress to be non-invasively tracked over long periods, providing valuable insights for preventative healthcare.Methods:This two-phase study comprised several protocols designed to induce varying levels of psychological stress in participants (N=39). HR and HRV metrics, derived from electrocardiogram (ECG) data collected throughout the protocol on the single lead HeartKey®Chest Module, were used by the HeartKey Stress algorithm to generate a relative stress score (0-100), which was validated against two clinically recognized methodologies for assessing patient stress: i) state-trait anxiety index (STAI), a questionnaire that subjectively measured the individual’s perceptual stress after each stage of the protocol, and ii) electrodermal activity (EDA), which continuously monitored conductive changes at the skin’s surface with an Empatica®E4 wrist wearable.Results:Over both phases, participant STAI scores increased significantly during stress protocols (49.9 ± 23.3) relative to the baseline (30.0 ± 10.0). Mean HR showed a similar significant increase (p< 0.001), and HRV gradually decreased throughout the testing protocol. HeartKey Stress scores derived from HR and HRV data showed a strong correlation to STAI scores. Furthermore, the HeartKey Stress trend closely replicated that of the EDA data.Conclusions:HeartKey Stress algorithm consistently generated accurate and reliable stress scores in response to events of induced, acute psychological stress. The results suggest that the algorithm has potential utility for continuous clinical monitoring of patients with stress-related illnesses.
Abstract 13149: Mental Stress-Induced Hemodynamic Changes and Cardiovascular Outcomes
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A13149-A13149, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Hemodynamic responses to mental stress (MS) have been associated with adverse CV outcomes. We investigated if hemodynamic responses during laboratory MS testing are predictive of outcomes.Hypothesis:Lower rate pressure product (RPP) changes during MS testing are predictive of adverse CV events.Methods:Patients recruited into the Mental Stress Ischemia Prognosis Study and Myocardial Infarction and Mental Stress Study 2 studies underwent MS testing with a standardized public speaking stressor and followed for incident CV death, MI rates (primary endpoint) and heart failure hospitalizations (secondary endpoint). Maximum changes in the RPP during MS were calculated. A generalized linear mixed model determined predictors of RPP change, and Prentice, Williams, Peterson model gap time approach was used for analysis of recurrent events after adjustment for demographic and clinical variables.Results:In 919 patients (mean 59.6 years; 65.6% men), the median change in RPP was 5,112 mmHg x beats/minute (IQR, 3,666 – 7,120). Patients with lower RPP changes (
Abstract 13293: Albuterol and Hyperthyroidism as Potential Causes of Stress Cardiomyopathy
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A13293-A13293, November 8, 2022. IntroductionTakotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a recognized reversible process associated with emotional or physical stressors characterized by left ventricular apical ballooning in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. We present a unique case of TCM after albuterol use in the setting of hyperthyroidism.ResultsA 74-year-old woman with history of hyperthyroidism and asthma presented with acute substernal chest pain and progressive dyspnea. She was diagnosed with an asthma exacerbation, started oral prednisone 3 days before presentation, and reported using 16 puffs of her albuterol inhaler the day before. Examination revealed blood pressure 157/100 mmHg, heart rate 135 beats per minute, respiratory rate of 35 breaths per minute, and SpO2 94% on a 5-liter nasal cannula. Lung exam revealed bilateral end-expiratory wheezes, and she appeared in respiratory distress. The remainder of the exam was unremarkable, including cardiac exam. ECG revealed atrial tachycardia with ST elevations in the anterolateral leads concerning for injury. High sensitivity troponin was 1484 ng/L (ref
Abstract 15081: The Viscoelastic Yield Stress of Blood is Negatively Associated With Pulmonary Blood Flow in the Fontan Circulation
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A15081-A15081, November 8, 2022. Introduction:In the Fontan (FN) circulation pulmonary blood flow (Qp) is passive, resulting in severely decreased shear rate and velocity in pulmonary arteries to the point of stasis. Yield stress (YS) is the shear stress required for blood to transition from stasis to a moving fluid. Therefore, YS may be a determinant of Qp in FN. We evaluated YS in patients with FN and Glenn (GLN) circulations and whether increased YS is associated with decreased Qp.Methods:We enrolled 20 patients with biventricular (2V) congenital heart disease (CHD) and 41 patients with single ventricle CHD (19 FN and 22 GLN) who were undergoing a clinically indicated cardiac catheterization. Two patients were excluded due to pulmonary vascular disease. We obtained blood samples at the time of catheterization and measured blood viscosity across shear rates 1 s-1to 1000 s-1using a Rheolog viscometer We calculated YS by curve-fitting of the viscosity measurements to a Casson fluid model.Hypothesis:We hypothesize that higher yield stress will be associated with lower pulmonary blood flow in Fontan circulation.Results:The FN group was the oldest and had the largest BSA (FN >2V >GLN; pFN >2V; p
Abstract 9376: TRPM77 Knockdown Prevents Hypomagnesemia-Induced Oxidative Stress and Cardiac Diastolic Dysfunction
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A9376-A9376, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Our previous study has shown that 6-week low-Mg diet-induced hypomagnesemia results in mitochondrial dysfunction, cardiac diastolic dysfunction, and seizure-related death. Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M 7 (TRPM7) is a Mg transporter with both channel and kinase function located in the plasma membrane. We investigated the role of TRPM7 in hypomagnesemia-associated changes.Methods:For cardiac-specific knockdown of TRPM7, pAAV[miR30]-cTnT >EGFP:Scramble-shRNA as control (Con) and pAAV[miR30]-cTnT >EGFP:TRPM7 shRNA as TRPM7 knockdown (T7KD) were injected into mice through the jugular vein at 10 weeks old. One week later, mice were fed with a normal diet (nlMg, 2000 mg/kg Mg) or a low-Mg diet (HypoMg, 15-30 mg/kg Mg) for 4 weeks.Results:TRPM7 was increased significantly in wild type mouse hearts under the low-Mg diet (1.45±0.18-fold of mice with normal diet, P
Abstract 10199: Increased Aortic Wall Shear Stress in Marfan Patients Long-Term After Proximal Grafting Assessed by 4D Flow Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A10199-A10199, November 8, 2022. Introduction:For Marfan syndrome patients (MFS) with thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA), prosthetic graft surgery provides lifesaving benefits, but adverse event risk persists in the native aorta for which mechanism is unclear. Sustained impact of proximal grafts on biomechanics within and distal to grafts is unknown.Methods:MFS patients with chronic ( > 6 month) proximal grafts were compared to non-surgical MFS (nsMFS) and age/sex matched controls: Wall shear stress (WSS) on 4D flow cardiac MRI and size (diameter) were quantified at aortic landmarks (ascending, arch, descending, thoracoabdominal).Results:34 subjects were studied including MFS late (7.3±6.7 years) after graft implantation (n=12). Post-surgical MFS were of similar age (p=0.93) and sex (p=0.64) to controls but older than non-surgical MFS (45±10 vs 33±11 yo, p=0.01): In the ascending aorta (grafted territory), post-surgical MFS had higher WSS (1.17±0.55 Pa) than nsMFS (0.74±0.17 Pa) and controls (0.60±0.17 Pa; p=0.002 for trend). Similarly, in the (native) descending aorta, WSS was higher in post-surgical (1.06±0.24 Pa) than nsMFS (0.97±0.11) and controls (0.83±0.16; p=0.02) (Figure) paralleling results in the arch (p=0.06) and a similar trend in the thoracoabdominal aorta (p=0.12). Among the overall MFS cohort (n=23), proximal graft implantation associated with increased WSS in the ascending and descending aorta (both p
Abstract 13156: The Location of Combined High-Risk Low Endothelial Shear Stress and High Plaque Structural Stress is Distant From the Minimal Lumen Area in the Majority of Coronary Plaques Responsible for Major Adverse Cardiac Events
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A13156-A13156, November 8, 2022. Introduction:The presence of multiple high-risk prognostic features enhances risk-stratification of plaques prone to destabilization and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Spatial superimposition of high-risk features (concordance) likely amplifies local risk. Local endothelial shear stress (ESS) and plaque structural stress (PSS) metrics predict MACE, but their spatial concordance and their location relative to the minimal lumen area (MLA) is unknown. If the highest-risk plaque area is distant from the MLA, then PCI of the MLA alone will leave high-risk plaque areas untreated.Purpose:To identify the site of high-risk features of low ESS and high PSS heterogeneity (HI) along the course of a plaque in patients who develop MACE, and the site of their spatial concordance relative to the MLA.Methods:We examined ESS, PSS, and PSS HI in 22 non-culprit lesions (NCL) leading to MACE, and 64 randomly selected control NCLs without MACE from the PROSPECT study. ESS was calculated by computational fluid dynamics and PSS by finite element analysis on co-registered lesions. We examined high-risk plaques with empirically-derived (ROC curve) ESS < 1.3 Pa and PSS HI > 0.29 in 16 lesions leading to future MACE, and 11 control lesions without MACE.Results:MACE outcomes were significantly more frequent in plaques with combined low ESS+high PSS HI vs plaques with low ESS alone (72.7% vs 27.3%, p
Abstract 10946: Myocardial Inflammatory Activity and Oxidative Stress Immunosuppressive Therapy Are Associated With Prognosis in Patients With Cardiac Sarcoidosis
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A10946-A10946, November 8, 2022. Background: Patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) have been shown to be at an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Enhancement in myocardial inflammatory activity and oxidative stress is a crucial cause of MACE. Immunosuppressive therapy is recommended for the treatment of active CS. After immunosuppressive therapy, however, there is no predictable markers for prognosis. We hypothesized that the inflammation and oxidative stress in heart were associated with MACE.Aim:We identified prognostic markers for MACE in patients with CS after steroid therapy.Methods:This prospective cohort study enrolled 103 consecutive patients with CS diagnosed according to the Japanese guideline; Of 103 CS patients, 39 patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT 6 months after steroid therapy, and levels of urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (U-8-OHdG) as a marker of oxidative DNA damage, other biomarkers, indices of cardiac function, and renal function were measured. Then they were followed up for a median of 42 months. The primary endpoint was a composite of the first sustained ventricular tachycardia (sVT) /sudden cardiac death (SCD), hospitalization for heart failure, and worsening CS with increased accumulation of FDG in heart and exacerbation of clinical manifestation.Results:During the follow-up period, 7 of 30 patients showed sVT/SCD (N= 9), hospitalization (N= 2) and worsening CS (N= 4). A Cox proportional-hazard model showed that U-8-OHdG concentration and SUV max value of FDG-PET were independent predictors of MACE. ROC analysis showed that the cut-off values of U-8-OHdG and SUV max for predicting the MACE were 14.2 ng/mg·Cr and 4.6 respectively. Patients with a U-8-OHdG ≥ 14.2 ng/mg·Cr or SUV max ≥4.6 had a significantly higher MACE risk (Figure A and B).Conclusions:U-8-OHdG and SUV max after steroid therapy were powerful predictors of MACE in CS, suggesting that CS patients with high U-8OHdG and/or high SUV max might be resistant to steroid therapy.
Abstract 10218: Differences in Treadmill Exercise Stress Testing Parameters Among Electronic Cigarette Vapers, Combustible Cigarette Smokers, and Controls: The Clues Study
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A10218-A10218, November 8, 2022. Background:Use of electronic nicotine delivery devices is increasing but their effects on exercise function are not well-characterized. We hypothesized that treadmill stress test outcomes would differ between chronic electronic cigarette users (“vapers”), combustible cigarette users (“smokers”), and non-smoking/non-vaping controls.Methods:CLUES (HL1393301) was a cross-sectional study of 395 individuals: 164 exclusive vapers (exhaled carbon monoxide [CO] 5 ppm, positive urine NicCheck I), and 114 non-vaping/non-smoking controls (CO
Abstract 12929: Association of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Stroke in Women Veterans
Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A12929-A12929, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with ischemic heart disease in women veterans. To date, the evidence for the potential association of PTSD with other cardiovascular disorders remains limited. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of the research in this area has been conducted predominately in men. The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the association of PTSD with incident stroke in a large cohort of women veterans.Methods:Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic health records were used to identify women veterans aged ≥18 years who visited any VAs nationwide from 1/1/2000-12/31/2017. Diagnosis of each risk factor and disorder was based on administrative billing codes (International Classification of Disease versions 9 and 10). The final study cohorts included 1:2 matched group of patients with and without PTSD respectively. The cohorts were matched for age, traditional risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and smoking, as well as obesity, chronic kidney disease, psychiatric disorders (depression, anxiety), female specific risk factors (e.g., pre-eclampsia), drug and alcohol dependence, neuroendocrine disorders (e.g., hypo or hyperthyroidism), and number of visits. Cox regression was used to model incident stroke as a function of PTSD.Results:The study population included 398,769 patients, including 132,293 with PTSD and 265,846 matched patients without PTSD. The cox regression analysis revealed that PTSD was significantly associated with greater rates of incident stroke (hazard ratio [HR]=1.64, 95% confidence interval: 1.43-1.86, p