New Nature Communications research maps how trauma and cardiovascular health intersect at the DNA, brain, and blood‑protein levels.  

What’s new — People living with post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal heart rhythms and heart attacks. A new analysis of large genetic datasets shows those connections are not just statistical: PTSD and many cardiovascular (CV) conditions share overlapping genetic regions and biological pathways. In plain terms, part of what raises heart risk in PTSD appears to be written into the same stretches of DNA.  

How the study worked — Researchers combined: (1) the largest PTSD genome‑wide association study to date (over 1.2 million participants of European ancestry), (2) electronic health record–based genetic studies of 246 heart and metabolic diagnoses, (3) cardiac MRI traits from 26,893 UK Biobank participants, and (4) health behaviors from the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8” (sleep, activity, smoking, weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, diet). The diagram on page 2 lays out this three‑pronged design.  

Key findings at a glance

• Overlap across the genome: The team found PTSD is genetically correlated with CV diagnoses in 33 regions, heart‑imaging traits in 4 regions, and health behaviors in 44 regions. The matrix on page 3 shows where these overlaps cluster, including links to hypertension, diabetes, obesity/overweight, and measures of heart‑muscle thickness.  
• Shared causal signals: Nearly 20 EHR‑defined cardiovascular diagnoses (e.g., hypertension, coronary disease, atrial fibrillation, type 2 diabetes) appear to share the same causal DNA variants with PTSD across 11 genomic regions. In one hotspot, variants tied to PTSD also tracked with obesity, overweight and physical activity. The plot on page 4 pinpoints these “colocalized” regions.  
• Real‑world confirmation: In the NIH All of Us cohort (~250,000 people), a PTSD diagnosis was associated with 13 cardiovascular diagnoses even after accounting for age, sex, race, deprivation, smoking, BMI—and the presence of depression. That strengthens the case that PTSD itself is linked to poorer heart health.  
• Biology that makes sense: Using brain (prefrontal cortex) and blood proteomics, the authors highlighted 122 brain and 33 blood proteins connected to both PTSD and CV traits—pointing to neuronal, immune, metabolic, and calcium‑signaling pathways. The charts on page 6 visualize these protein‑level overlaps.  
• Medicine tie‑ins (research context): Some of the shared genes are already targeted by existing psychiatric or heart medications. The Sankey graphic on page 7 maps drug–gene connections (for example, the blood‑pressure drug prazosin is sometimes used off‑label for PTSD‑related nightmares). This is not a treatment recommendation, but it hints at drug‑repurposing opportunities to explore carefully.  

Why it matters — The study helps explain why PTSD raises heart risk: the same genetic neighborhoods that tune stress and fear circuits in the brain also influence blood pressure, metabolism, heart‑muscle structure, and arrhythmia risk. It reinforces the American Heart Association’s message that mental health is heart health, and it suggests new biological targets for prevention and therapy.  

Important caveats — Most data here are from people of European ancestry, so results may not generalize to every population. The All of Us analysis was cross‑sectional (a snapshot in time), so it cannot establish the exact order in which PTSD and heart problems develop. And drug–gene insights are exploratory, not clinical guidance.  

Bottom line for readers — If you have PTSD symptoms, caring for your mental health is also a step toward protecting your heart. That includes evidence‑based PTSD treatments, plus the “Life’s Essential 8”: sleep, physical activity, not smoking, healthy weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and diet. Talk with your clinician about a plan that covers both mental and cardiovascular health.  

Source: Nature Communications, “Shared genetic architecture of posttraumatic stress disorder with cardiovascular imaging, risk, and diagnoses.” See the study diagram on page 2, correlation map on page 3, colocalization results on page 4, proteomics on page 6, and drug–gene map on page 7 for visuals referenced above.  

Shen, J., Valentim, W., Friligkou, E. et al. Shared genetic architecture of posttraumatic stress disorder with cardiovascular imaging, risk, and diagnoses. Nat Commun 16, 5631 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60487-w

Editor’s note: This article is for information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.