Results showed that African American veterans with PTSD had a higher risk of readmission than veterans without PTSD. However, white veterans with PTSD were not at significantly higher risk of readmission after stroke.People with post-traumatic stress disorder have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Additionally, veterans are more likely to develop her PTSD than civilians, with 23% of veterans receiving VA treatment having been diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their lives.

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Department conducted a study to assess the impact of PTSD on outcomes and readmissions after stroke. The results showed that African American veterans previously diagnosed with PTSD were significantly more likely to be readmitted to the hospital than veterans without PTSD. The results were published today in Stroke, a peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

“We expected that if PTSD were to impact outcomes after stroke, it would impact veterans in general,” said Dr. said Chen Lin, M.D., a neurologist and lead author of the study, associate professor in the UAB Department of Neurology. “Instead, we found that African American veterans with PTSD were at significantly higher risk than white veterans with PTSD.”

Lin and his research team used the VA database to analyze 93,651 African American and white veterans who had experienced a stroke in the past. In addition to PTSD, type 2 diabetes or illicit drug use was associated with a higher risk of readmission among African Americans. However, heart failure or high cholesterol was associated with increased risk of readmission among white veterans.

“The only factors that increased the risk of readmission after stroke for white and African American veterans were high blood pressure, previous heart attack, and narrowing of the arteries outside the heart,” Lin said.

Lin hopes the results will help improve stroke outcomes and reduce risk factors after hospital discharge.

“Post-discharge care can be challenging, whether it’s meeting follow-up appointments or living with a disability that limits abilities such as walking or driving,” Lin says. “By identifying risk factors and determining who is most at risk, we hope that physicians can provide more targeted care and prevent hospital readmissions.”