On September 1, 2003, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded a four-year grant, 1R01HL073824-01, "Wounded Spirits, Ailing Hearts: PTSD and CVD in Indians," to the University of Colorado Health Science Center in the amount of $4.2 million. The Principal Investigator of the grant is Dr. Spero M. Manson (Pembina Chippewa), professor and head, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a unique psychiatric condition characterized by a persistent maladaptive reaction resulting from exposure to a stressful traumatic event(s). In the United States general population PTSD has a lifetime prevalence of 5 percent in men and 10 percent in women. PTSD is known to produce alternations in the central and autonomic nervous system and hormonal dysregulation. However, little is known about the long-term consequences of PTSD on the cardiovascular system.
PTSD is a common disorder among reservation-dwelling American Indians (AIs) with a lifetime prevalence of 12 percent in men and 23 percent in women. Similarly, cardiovascular disease (CVD), has emerged as a major health problem in AIs during the past decade. We propose to examine the relationship between PTSD and cardiac function in a population-based sample of AIs.
Since the emerging epidemic of CVD in AIs cannot be completely explained by changes in traditional risk factors, there is an urgent need to identify novel risk factors, like PTSD. Furthermore, the description of the influence of PTSD on the cardiovascular system could have immediate clinical and public health implications. Strategies for preventing PTSD, initiation of early treatment, and the identification of factors that mediate its potentially cardio-toxic effects could reduce morbidity and mortality from CVD.