The heart disease are one of the leading causes of death among women. To understand this phenomenon, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (United States) looked at the risk factors for these pathologies. If we already knew that the smokingL’obesitysedentary lifestyle oralcohol had an impact, the scientists confirmed that the psychological aspect also played a role: they discovered that traumatic experiences favored heart disease in women, particularly after the menopause.
A way to anticipate risk
To achieve these works, presented at the annual conference of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) in Philadelphia, the researchers examined 272 menopausal or post-menopausal non-smoking women. They then asked them to talk about the traumatic events (sexual harassment, death of a child, accident of the road, natural disaster, aggression…), with which they have been confronted during their life. The researchers found that women who reported at least three traumatic experiences had poorer endothelial function than those who did not. Endothelial function relates to the endothelium, the layer of cells that lines the vessels, and its poor functioning is considered a risk factor for heart disease. Findings that could prove useful in anticipating the risk of heart disease in women, according to JoAnn Pinkerton, director of NAMS. “Given the high number of postmenopausal women with heart disease, this is an important study that should remind healthcare professionals of the need to discuss each woman’s experience in depth,” she concludes.Read also :Getting out of post-traumatic stressAccident: post-traumatic stress syndrome better evaluatedIn women, post-traumatic stress increases the risk of lupus
