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About 15% of patients develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after experiencing an acute coronary syndrome (ACS; myocardial infarction or unstable angina). These researchers examined whether post-ACS PTSD symptom clusters (intrusions, avoidance, hyperarousal) are associated with a recurrent major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) or all-cause mortality.
The investigators assessed PTSD symptoms in 247 patients (mean age, 60; 45% women; 80% white) 1 month after hospitalization for an ACS and followed them for up to 42 months (mean, 24 months). Twenty-eight patients (11%) reported symptoms consistent with PTSD; 36 patients (15%) had high scores for intrusions, 32 (13%) for avoidance, and 21 (9%) for hyperarousal.
During follow-…