People with a stress-related disorder triggered by a traumatic life event face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in the first year after their diagnosis, research shows. 

The University of Iceland-led study notes that those diagnosed with a stress disorder face a 64% higher risk of a CVD event or disease compared with an unaffected sibling in the first year. 

Stress-related disorders are severe stress reactions to significant life events or trauma, such as the death of a loved one, a life-threatening diagnosis, natural disasters or violence, say the researchers. 

Doctors should be aware there is a “clear association” between clinically confirmed stress-related disorders and multiple types of CVD, they write in study published in the BMJ.