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Depression, cardiometabolic function and left ventricular hypertrophy in African men and women: the SABPA study

Nyiko Mashele1, Leoné Malan, Johannes M van Rooyen

  • 1Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), School for Physiology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Clinical and Experimental Hypertension (New York, N.Y. : 1993)
|September 8, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Depression is linked to heart disease risk in African populations. In women, depressive symptoms and metabolic factors contribute to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). In men, cardiometabolic factors drive LVH, regardless of depression.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Metabolic Syndrome Research

Background:

  • Depressive symptoms increase cardiovascular disease risk, often linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS).
  • This association requires investigation in African populations.
  • Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a key indicator of cardiac damage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between LVH and MetS risk markers in Black African men and women.
  • To explore the role of depressive symptoms in this relationship.

Main Methods:

  • Participants were stratified into groups with (D) or without (ND) depressive symptoms.
  • Fasting metabolic syndrome markers, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), ambulatory blood pressure (BP), and Cornell product-LVH (CP-LVH) via ECG were measured.
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria were used for depression assessment.

Main Results:

  • Depressive symptoms were present in 45.3% of the sample.
  • A pre-diabetic state (HbA1c >5.7%) was observed in both men and women, irrespective of depression status.
  • In depressed African women, CP-LVH correlated with lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
  • In depressed African men, systolic BP and HbA1c explained significant variations in LVH (64% and 31%, respectively).

Conclusions:

  • Depressive symptoms in Black African women are associated with CP-LVH, driven by metabolic factors.
  • In Black African men, LVH is primarily driven by cardiometabolic factors like systolic BP and HbA1c, independent of depressive symptoms.

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