Posttraumatic stress disorder and dyslipidemia: previous research and novel findings from patients with PTSD caused by myocardial infarction.
OBJECTIVE
Based on a brief systematic review suggesting dyslipidemia in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we studied, for the first time, levels of blood lipids in patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of PTSD caused by myocardial infarction (MI).


METHODS
Study participants were eight patients with full PTSD, eight patients with subsyndromal PTSD, and 31 patients with no PTSD who were diagnosed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) interview after a mean of 32+/-8 months after MI. Levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) were determined in plasma.


RESULTS
Patients with full PTSD had lower HDL-C than patients with subsyndromal PTSD (P = 0.044) and those with no PTSD (P = 0.014) controlling for sex, body mass index, and statin equivalent dosage. Moreover, HDL-C levels were inversely associated with PTSD total symptoms (r = -0.33, P = 0.027), re-experiencing symptoms (r = -0.32, P = 0.036), and avoidance symptoms (r = -0.34, P = 0.025). There were no significant associations of PTSD diagnostic status and symptomatology with the three other lipid measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic PTSD caused by MI was associated with lower plasma levels of HDL-C. The finding concurs with the notion of dyslipidemia partially underlying the atherosclerotic risk in individuals with PTSD caused by different types of trauma.
Von Känel
Roland
R
Department of General Internal Medicine, Division of Psychosomatic Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. roland.vonkaenel@insel.ch
Kraemer
Bernd
B
Saner
Hugo
H
Schmid
Jean-Paul
JP
Abbas
Chiara C
CC
Begré
Stefan
S
D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol