Examining the Effect of Mental Health Disorders on Vascular Function and Exercise Tolerance

Mental health disorders are highly prevalent and underdiagnosed and can cause perturbations in cardiovascular and metabolic function leading to substantial individual burden (increased health care cost, loss of work productivity). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), two common mental health disorders, can cause increase cardiovascular disease risk due to chronic increases or fluctuations in heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychiatric condition characterized by a persistent maladaptive reaction resulting from exposure to severe psychological stress. It has been revealed that individuals with PTSD, in addition to adverse mental health symptoms, also possess higher prevalence rates for physical comorbidities such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Taken together, these PTSD-induced comorbidities result in a significant increase in the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) when compared to individuals without PTSD. Anxiety disorders, the most prevalent mental health issue in the United States, is associated an increased incidence of hypertension and heart disease. This increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is thought to derive from an overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system that results in a predominately pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory cardiovascular environment. Peripheral vascular dysfunction, or the inability of the blood vessels to adequately respond to specific stimuli, is a factor closely related to CVD. Therefore, this study will focus on a younger population with PTSD or GAD in an attempt to ascertain the presence of peripheral vascular dysfunction and the magnitude to which two potential primary contributors (autonomic dysfunction, oxidative stress) are involved in this dysfunction.

Inclusion criteria

• apparently healthy and free of overt cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic disease
• for PTSD group, a score of ≥ 33 on PCL-5 checklist
• for GAD group, a score of ≥ 10 on the GAD-7 self-report scale

Exclusion criteria

• taking medications that could influence cardiovascular function
• limited English proficiency