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Importance: Having a child with a major birth defect can be a life-changing and stressful event that may be associated with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, yet the long-term burden of CVD for the child's mother is unknown., Objective: To assess whether mothers of an infant born with a major congenital anomaly are at higher risk of CVD compared with a comparison cohort., Design, Setting, and Participants: A population-based cohort study using individual-level linked registry data in Denmark included 42 943 women who gave birth to an infant with a major congenital anomaly between January 1, 1979, and December 31, 2013; and follow-up was conducted until 2015. A comparison group, comprising 428 401 randomly selected women, was 10:1 matched to each affected mother by maternal age, parity, and her infant's year of birth. Data analyses were performed between November 1, 2017, and February 28, 2018., Exposures: Live birth of an infant with a major congenital anomaly., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was a CVD composite outcome of acute myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, or stroke. Secondary outcomes included individual components of the CVD composite and other cardiovascular outcomes, including unstable angina, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, peripheral artery disease, ischemic heart disease, and aortic aneurysm. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses generated hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for maternal demographic, socioeconomic, and chronic health indicators., Results: Median maternal age at baseline was 28.8 years (interquartile range, 25.3-32.5 years). After a median follow-up of 19.5 years (interquartile range, 9.9-27.6 years), 914 women whose infant had a major congenital anomaly experienced a CVD event (1.21 per 1000 person-years; 95% CI, 1.13-1.28 per 1000 person-years) vs 7516 women in the comparison group (0.99 per 1000 person-years; 95% CI, 0.97-1.01 per 1000 person-years), corresponding to an unadjusted HR of 1.23 (95% CI, 1.15-1.32), and an adjusted HR (aHR) of 1.15 (95% CI, 1.07-1.23). Women who gave birth to an infant with multiorgan anomalies had an even higher aHR (1.37; 95% CI, 1.08-1.72). Mothers of infants with a major anomaly also had an increased aHR of the individual components of the composite outcome and the other cardiovascular outcomes., Conclusions and Relevance: Women whose child had a major congenital anomaly experienced a 15% to 37% higher risk of premature cardiovascular disease. These women may benefit from targeted interventions aimed at improving their cardiovascular health.

Objectives: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a well-documented risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it is unknown whether another common stress disorder-adjustment disorder--is also associated with an increased risk of CVD and whether gender modifies these associations. The aim of this study was to examine the overall and gender-stratified associations between PTSD and adjustment disorder and 4 CVD events., Design: Prospective cohort study utilising Danish national registry data., Setting: The general population of Denmark., Participants: PTSD (n=4724) and adjustment disorder (n=64,855) cohorts compared with the general population of Denmark from 1995 to 2011., Primary Outcome Measures: CVD events including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, ischaemic stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE). Standardised incidence rates and 95% CIs were calculated., Results: Associations were found between PTSD and all 4 CVD events ranging from 1.5 (95% CI 1.1 to 1.9) for MI to 2.1 (95% CI 1.7 to 2.7) for VTE. Associations that were similar in magnitude were also found for adjustment disorder and all 4 CVD events: 1.5 (95% CI 1.4 to 1.6) for MI to 1.9 (95% CI 1.8 to 2.0) for VTE. No gender differences were noted., Conclusions: By expanding beyond PTSD and examining a second stress disorder-adjustment disorder-this study provides evidence that stress-related psychopathology is associated with CVD events. Further, limited evidence of gender differences in associations for either of the stress disorders and CVD was found., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)

The association between stress and cancer incidence has been studied for more than seven decades. Despite plausible biological mechanisms and evidence from laboratory studies, findings from clinical research are conflicting. The objective of this study was to examine the association between PTSD and various cancer outcomes. This nation-wide cohort study included all Danish-born residents of Denmark from 1995 to 2011. The exposure was PTSD diagnoses (n = 4131). The main outcomes were cancer diagnoses including: (1) all malignant neoplasms; (2) hematologic malignancies; (3) immune-related cancers; (4) smoking- and alcohol-related cancers; (5) cancers at all other sites. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were calculated. Null associations were found between PTSD and nearly all cancer diagnoses examined, both overall [SIR for all cancers = 1.0, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.88, 1.2] and in analyses stratified by gender, age, substance abuse history and time since PTSD diagnosis. This study is the most comprehensive examination to date of PTSD as a predictor of many cancer types. Our data show no evidence of an association between PTSD and cancer in this nationwide cohort.