Search

Psychosocial stress can affect cardiovascular health through multiple pathways. Certain stressors, such as socioeconomic disadvantage, childhood adversity, intimate partner violence, and caregiving stress, are especially common among women. The consequences of stress begin at a young age and persist throughout the life course. This is especially true for women, among whom the burden of negative psychosocial experiences tends to be larger in young age and midlife. Menarche, pregnancy, and menopause can further exacerbate stress in vulnerable women. Not only is psychosocial adversity prevalent in women, but it could have more pronounced consequences for cardiovascular risk among women than among men. These differential effects could reside in sex differences in responses to stress, combined with women's propensity toward vasomotor reactivity, microvascular dysfunction, and inflammation. The bulk of evidence suggests that targeting stress could be an important strategy for cardiovascular risk reduction in women., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Ebong is supported by grants R21 HL165018-01 and U01 HL160274 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and grant 23SFRNPCS1064232 from the American Heart Association Strategically Focused Research Network. Dr Quesada is supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant K23 HL151867. Dr Fonkoue is supported by NIH grants K01HL161027 and UL1TR002494. Dr Ogunniyi has received institutional research support grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cardurion Pharmaceuticals, and Pfizer, outside the submitted work. Dr Vaccarino is supported by NHLBI grants R01 HL109413 and R01 HL163998. The other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate differences in transient endothelial dysfunction (TED) with mental stress in Black and non-Black individuals with coronary heart disease (CHD), and their potential impact on cardiovascular outcomes., Methods: We examined 812 patients with stable CHD between June 2011 and March 2016 and followed through February 2020 at a university-affiliated hospital network. Flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) was assessed before and 30 minutes after mental stress. TED was defined as a lower poststress FMD than prestress FMD. We compared prestress FMD, post-stress FMD, and TED between Black and non-Black participants. In both groups, we examined the association of TED with an adjudicated composite end point of cardiovascular death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (first and recurring events) after adjusting for demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic factors., Results: Prestress FMD was lower in Black than non-Black participants (3.7 [2.8] versus 4.9 [3.8], p < .001) and significantly declined with mental stress in both groups. TED occurred more often in Black (76%) than non-Black patients (67%; multivariable-adjusted odds ratio = 1.6, 95% confidence interval = 1.5-1.7). Over a median (interquartile range) follow-up period of 75 (65-82) months, 142 (18%) patients experienced either cardiovascular death or nonfatal myocardial infarction. Black participants had a 41.9% higher risk of the study outcome than non-Black participants (95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.95). TED with mental stress explained 69% of this excess risk., Conclusions: Among CHD patients, Black individuals are more likely than non-Black individuals to develop endothelial dysfunction with mental stress, which in turn explains a substantial portion of their excess risk of adverse events., (Copyright © 2023 by the American Psychosomatic Society.)

Background Higher symptom levels of a variety of measures of emotional distress have been associated with cardiovascular disease ( CVD ), especially among women. Here, our goal was to investigate the association between a composite measure of psychological distress and incident cardiovascular events. Methods and Results In a prospective cohort study, we assessed 662 individuals (28% women; 30% blacks) with stable coronary artery disease. We used a composite score of psychological distress derived through summation of Z-transformed psychological distress symptom scales (depression, posttraumatic stress, anxiety, anger, hostility, and perceived stress) as a predictor of an adjudicated composite end point of adverse events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, or unstable angina). During a mean follow-up of 2.8 years, 120 (18%) subjects developed CVD events. In the overall population, there was no association between the psychological distress measure and CVD events, but there was a sex-based interaction ( P=0.004). In women, higher psychological distress was associated with a higher incidence of CVD events; each SD increase in the composite score of psychological distress was associated with 1.44 times adjusted hazard of CVD events (95% CI, 1.09-1.92). No such association was found in men. Conclusions Among patients with coronary artery disease, higher psychological distress is associated with future cardiovascular events in women only.

Background Food deserts ( FDs ), defined as low-income communities with limited access to healthy food, are a growing public health concern. We evaluated the impact of living in FDs on incident cardiovascular events. Methods and Results We recruited 4944 subjects (age 64±12, 64% male) undergoing cardiac catheterization into the Emory Cardiovascular Biobank. Using the US Department of Agriculture definition of FD , we determined whether their residential addresses had (1) poor access to healthy food, (2) low income, or (3) both (= FD ). Subjects were prospectively followed for a median of 3.2 years for myocardial infarction (MI) and death. Fine and Gray's subdistribution hazard models for MI and Cox proportional hazard models for death/ MI were used to examine the association between area characteristics ( FD , poor access, and low income) and the rates of adverse events after adjusting for traditional risk factors. A total of 981 (20%) lived in FDs and had a higher adjusted risk of MI (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.44 [95% CI, 1.06-1.95]) than those living in non- FDs . In a multivariate analysis including both food access and area income, only living in a low-income area was associated with a higher adjusted risk of MI (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.40 [1.06-1.85]) and death/ MI (hazard ratio, 1.18 [1.02-1.35]) while living in a poor-access area was not significantly associated with either (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.05 [0.80-1.38] and hazard ratio, 0.99 [0.87-1.14], respectively). Conclusions Living in an FD is associated with a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events in those with coronary artery disease. Specifically, low area income of FDs , not poor access to food, was significantly associated with worse outcomes.

Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Compared with males, females are twice as likely to develop PTSD after trauma exposure, and cardiovascular reactivity to stress is a known risk factor for CVD. We aimed to examine hemodynamic responses to acute mental stress in trauma‐exposed females with and without a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. We hypothesized that females with PTSD would have higher heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and lower blood flow velocity (BFV) responsiveness compared with controls. We enrolled 21 females with PTSD and 21 trauma‐exposed controls. We continuously measured HR using a three‐lead electrocardiogram, BP using finger plethysmography, and brachial BFV using Doppler ultrasound. All variables were recorded during 10 min of supine rest, 5 min of mental arithmetic, and 5 min of recovery. Females with PTSD were older, and had higher BMI and higher resting diastolic BP. Accordingly, age, BMI, and diastolic BP were covariates for all repeated measures analyses. Females with PTSD had a blunted brachial BFV response to mental stress (time × group, p = 0.005) compared with controls, suggesting greater vasoconstriction. HR and BP responses were comparable. In conclusion, our results suggest early impairment of vascular function in premenopausal females with PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First to study inflammatory response to stress and adverse cardiovascular events. • We found clear sex differences. • Higher IL-6 and MCP-1 stress response was associated with cardiovascular events among women only. • Stress may increase cardiovascular events among women through inflammation. Stress may contribute to progression of coronary heart disease (CHD) through inflammation, especially among women. Thus, we sought to examine whether increased inflammatory response to stress among patients with CHD is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular events and whether this risk is higher in women. We examined inflammatory biomarkers known to increase with mental stress (speech task), including interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9) among 562 patients with stable CHD. Inflammatory response, the difference between post-stress and resting values, was examined as a predictor of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) using subdistribution hazards models for competing risks adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and medications. MACE was defined as a composite endpoint of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina with revascularization, and heart failure. All biomarkers were standardized. The mean age was 63 years (range 34–79) and 24% were women. During a median follow-up of 3 years, 71 patients experienced MACE. Overall, there was no significant association between inflammatory response to stress and risk of MACE, but there were sex-based interactions for IL-6 (p = 0.001) and MCP-1 (p = 0.01). The risk of MACE increased 56% (HR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.21, 2.01; p = 0.001) and 30% (HR: 1.30; 95% 1.09, 1.55; p = 0.004) for each standard deviation increase in IL-6 and MCP-1 response to mental stress for women, respectively, while there was no association among men. Increased inflammation in response to stress is associated with future adverse cardiovascular outcomes among women with CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Positive aspects of neighborhoods may be linked to CV health, via inflammation. • Evidence suggests that associations may be patterned by race and gender. • We examined linkages between social cohesion and inflammation by race and gender. • Social cohesion was inversely related to IL-6 for African-Americans, not Whites. • Associations among African-Americans were largely driven by African-American women. Abstract Introduction Social cohesion is a positive neighborhood characteristic defined by feelings of connectedness and solidarity within a community. Studies have found significant associations between social cohesion and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and outcomes. Inflammation is one potential physiological pathway linking social cohesion to CVD development, but few studies have evaluated the relationship between social cohesion and inflammatory biomarkers. Prior research has also established that race and gender can modify the effects of neighborhood features, including social cohesion, on CVD risk factors and outcomes. This study aimed to examine the association between social cohesion and the inflammatory biomarkers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in a cohort of African American and White women and men. Materials and methods Data from the Morehouse and Emory Team Up to Eliminate Health Disparities (META-Health) Study were used to assess the association between social cohesion and inflammation among African American (n = 203) and White (n = 176) adults from the Atlanta metropolitan area. Social cohesion was measured using the social cohesion subscale from the Neighborhood Health Questionnaire. Inflammatory biomarkers were measured from plasma frozen at −70 °C. Multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted, controlling for demographic, clinical, behavioral, and psychosocial factors sequentially. Interaction by race and gender was also examined. Results In models adjusted for age, race, gender, and education, social cohesion was significantly associated with lower levels of IL-6 (β = −0.06, p = 0.03). There was a significant race × social cohesion interaction (p = 0.04), and a marginally significant gender × race × social cohesion interaction (p = 0.09). In race-stratified models controlling for age, gender, and education, social cohesion was associated with lower IL-6 levels in African Americans (β = −0.11, p = 0.01), but not Whites (β = 0.01, p = 0.91). In fully adjusted race- and gender-stratified models, social cohesion was associated with lower levels of IL-6 in African American women only (β = −0.15, p = 0.003). CRP was not associated with social cohesion in fully adjusted models. Conclusion The association between social cohesion and lower levels of IL-6 is modified by gender and race, with the strongest association emerging for African American women. Although the pathways through which social cohesion impacts inflammation remain unclear, it is possible that for African American women social cohesion manifests through neighborhood networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]