A new study from the University of Calgary highlights a possible link between clinical mental health conditions and an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes heart attacks and sudden chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart.
While the evidence is not fully clear, the findings suggest a need for more attention to mental health in people at risk for heart disease.
Acute coronary syndrome is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Treating known heart disease risks—such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol—has helped lower death rates. But mental health may also play a role. Some mental disorders may add extra risk through stress, inflammation, or other body responses.
The study, titled “Mental Disorders as a Risk Factor of Acute Coronary Syndrome,” was published in JAMA Psychiatry. The researchers searched major medical databases to find studies that looked at mental disorders diagnosed before people later had a heart attack or other acute heart problem.
They only included high-quality studies that measured risk using standard definitions and statistical methods. In total, they reviewed 25 studies involving more than 22 million people.
Of those, nearly 13 million were men and over 9 million were women. About 13% had been diagnosed with a mental disorder before the study began, and around 1.4% later had an acute coronary syndrome event.
The researchers found that several mental disorders were linked to higher risks of heart attacks or similar heart events:
Anxiety disorders were linked to a 63% higher risk of heart attack, though the evidence was considered uncertain.
Depression showed a 40% increased risk, but the certainty of this link was very low.
Sleep disorders were associated with a 60% higher risk of acute coronary syndrome.
PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) had the strongest link, with a 173% increased risk of heart attack and moderate evidence to support it.
Sleep problems may be one reason why PTSD and sleep disorders have such strong links. Poor sleep can affect blood sugar, raise stress, and increase damage from free radicals in the body, all of which may harm the heart over time.
Other mental health conditions showed mixed results. Bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders did not show a clear connection to heart attack risk. Substance use disorder was linked to a higher heart attack risk in one type of analysis, but the evidence was not strong. Some results were unclear because of unstable data or inconsistent statistics.
The researchers emphasize that while some links were found, the overall evidence remains fragile and further research is needed. Still, the findings suggest that mental health care may play a role in preventing heart disease—especially in people already living with conditions like anxiety, depression, PTSD, or sleep disorders.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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