Study for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) I. Engage with flashcards and multiple-choice questions with detailed feedback. Prepare confidently!

Multiple Choice

PTSD victims are at increased risk for which condition?

PTSD involves a prolonged stress response that can harm the cardiovascular system over time. Repeated activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis keeps blood pressure elevated, promotes systemic inflammation, and can lead to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. These changes increase the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. Additionally, PTSD is often associated with unhealthy behaviors—smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity, and metabolic syndrome—that further raise cardiovascular risk. Because of these mechanisms, cardiovascular disease is the most consistent and significant health risk linked to PTSD among the options. Renal failure and liver disease are not as directly tied to PTSD in a consistent, robust way, and osteoporosis, while it can be influenced by chronic stress and cortisol, does not reflect the strongest and most well-supported association seen with PTSD.

PTSD involves a prolonged stress response that can harm the cardiovascular system over time. Repeated activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis keeps blood pressure elevated, promotes systemic inflammation, and can lead to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. These changes increase the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. Additionally, PTSD is often associated with unhealthy behaviors—smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity, and metabolic syndrome—that further raise cardiovascular risk. Because of these mechanisms, cardiovascular disease is the most consistent and significant health risk linked to PTSD among the options.

Renal failure and liver disease are not as directly tied to PTSD in a consistent, robust way, and osteoporosis, while it can be influenced by chronic stress and cortisol, does not reflect the strongest and most well-supported association seen with PTSD.