The Contribution of Stress and Distress to Cardiovascular Health in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer.

BACKGROUND

Childhood cancer survivors are at risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality that is not fully explained by cancer-directed therapies. We examined the contribution of emotional stress and distress to cardiac health in adult survivors of childhood cancer.

METHODS

Participants included 3,267 adult survivors enrolled in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study [median (range) 29.9 (18.1-64.5) years of age; 7.7 (0-24.8) years at diagnosis; 48.4% female]. Survivors completed comprehensive medical assessments and standardized measures of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and perceived stress. Cardiovascular-related conditions included hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiomyopathy, dysrhythmia, myocardial infarction (severity graded 0-4), and metabolic syndrome (yes/no). Multivariable modified Poisson models examined associations between symptoms of stress/distress and cardiovascular outcomes. Longitudinal associations between stress/distress and new-onset cardiovascular outcomes, defined as a change from grade ≤1 at initial evaluation to grade ≥2 at follow-up (median 3.9 years) were examined in 1,748 participants.

RESULTS

In multivariable cross-sectional models, stress/distress was associated with hypertension [risk ratio (RR) = 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07-1.43], dyslipidemia (RR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.03-1.61), and metabolic syndrome (RR = 1.35; 95% CI, 1.17-1.54) independent of known cardiovascular risk factors. In longitudinal models, stress/distress was associated with new-onset dysrhythmia (RR = 2.87; 95% CI, 1.21-6.78), perceived stress with hypertension (RR = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.04-1.95), and PTSS and anxiety with dyslipidemia (RR = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.13-2.62; RR = 1.54; 95% CI, 1.01-2.35, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Stress/distress is independently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes among childhood cancer survivors.

IMPACT: Improving psychological health may serve as a potential intervention target for optimizing cardiac health among childhood cancer survivors.