title: The link between childhood sexual abuse and myocardial infarction in a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and myocardial infarction in men and women, while controlling for social determinants (i.e., socioeconomic status, social support, mental health) and traditional cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., age, race, obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, diabetes mellitus).
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based data were obtained from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Myocardial infarction was ascertained by self-report of a health-professional diagnosis. CSA was defined as forced sex with someone at least 5 years older before the age of 18. The final sample included 5,095 men and 7,768 women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for 15 factors, abused males had nearly 3 times the odds of heart attack compared to non-abused males (OR=2.96; 95% CI=1.12, 7.85). Among women, CSA was not associated with heart attack in the age-race adjusted (OR=1.20; 95% CI=0.39, 3.68) or fully-adjusted (OR=0.88; 95% CI=0.28, 2.75) analyses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CSA was associated with heart attack in men, even when controlling for traditional risk factors; however, no association was found among women. Future research is needed to replicate the study's unique findings.
authors.affiliation: Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. esme.fuller.thomson@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Esme
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fuller-Thomson
authors.forename: Raluca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bejan
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grundland
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brennenstuhl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult