Cardiovascular risk and allostatic load in PTSD: The role of cumulative trauma and resilience in affected and trauma-exposed adults.

Background: The pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves dysregulation of stress-sensitive biological systems due to repeated trauma exposure, predisposing individuals to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Allostatic load (AL), an indicator of maladaptive stress responses, could shed light on the underlying biological mechanisms. We determined whether CVD risk and AL were associated with trauma load and resilience in women with PTSD and trauma-exposed controls (TEC).

Methods: Adults with PTSD N = 114 and TEC N = 95 were administered the Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale for DSM-5, to assess for current PTSD diagnosis and severity, the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 for lifetime exposure to potentially traumatic events (cumulative trauma) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. An AL score was calculated as a sum of dichotomous variables from four physiological systems (neuroendocrine, metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory). CVD risk was assessed with the South African Framingham risk score.

Results: In patients with PTSD, cumulative trauma was associated with higher AL (p = 0.04) and CVD risk (p = 0.02). In TEC, AL was inversely associated with resilience (p = 0.04). There was a significant interaction between cumulative trauma and resilience on AL (p = 0.009) in PTSD cases, with a stronger association between cumulative trauma and AL in those with higher resilience.

Conclusions: Resilience may have differential detrimental and protective effects on AL in individuals with PTSD and TEC. Cumulative trauma exposure may, independently, increase the likelihood of high AL and CVD risk in PTSD, with resilience moderating this effect. Remaining resilient while experiencing PTSD symptoms may impose a biological strain that could have long-term harmful effects.