Scherrer JF, et al. - Researchers investigated if the link between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) could be explained by one or a combination of comorbid conditions. They analyzed electronic health records for patients who used one of five Veterans Health Affairs medical centers distributed across the US. PTSD diagnoses were reported in 2,519 Veterans Health Affairs (VA) patients (30 to 70 years of age), at index date, while 1,659 patients had no such diagnoses. For 12 months before index date, no CVD diagnoses were seen in these patients. Before and after adjusting for comorbidities, they calculated age-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. The study population comprised middle aged (mean=50.1 years, SD±11.0), mostly male (87.0%), and 60% white subjects. PTSD was not identified as an independent risk factor for CVD. An increased risk of CVD in PTSD patients was explained by co-occurring physical and psychiatric conditions and smoking. Exposure to CVD risk factors could be limited via careful monitoring.