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.