Presenting the study findings at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Orlando, lead researcher Dr Joseph Boscarino, from the New York Academy of Medicine, said that people with PTSD were up to six times more likely to have a heart attack than people without the condition.

After analysing data from 12 studies involving over 50,000 people who were exposed to traumatic events such as war, disasters, child abuse and sexual assault, the team discovered a possible link between trauma and cardiovascular disease.

To determine whether this association was due to psychological stress, rather than other factors, such as substance abuse, Dr Boscarino and the team examined the medical and mental health records of 2490 Vietnam War veterans who had participated in a national study in 1986.

The researchers found that 7% of veterans with PTSD had also suffered a heart attack compared with just 1% of veterans without PTSD. Furthermore, the researchers found that the risk of having a heart attack was greatest for those who were suffering from depression or anxiety in addition to PTSD.

The association between PTSD and heart attack held true after accounting for risk factors such as age, lifestyle, smoking status, substance abuse, and economic status.

"Our study now provides fairly strong proof that psychological trauma can cause heart disease in some persons," said Dr Boscarino. "This doesn't mean everyone exposed to trauma will get heart disease, but they might be at risk."

He added that the study highlighted how important treatment for PTSD is for the prevention of heart disease as well as the quality of life of sufferers.