BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a major independent cardiovascular risk factor, is the leading cause of death among US groups, including Hispanic and Latino adults. LVH commonly occurs in the setting of hypertension, which may be influenced by psychological factors such as depression and anxiety.

METHODS: HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos) participants, an ongoing population-based cohort study of Hispanic and Latino adults, completed visit 1 in 2008 through 2011 and visit 2 in 2014 through 2017. Depression and trait anxiety symptoms were self-reported and LVH assessed by echocardiography at visit 2. Among 6612 participants, multivariable Poisson regression examined associations of visit 1 depression symptoms and trait anxiety with incident visit 2 LVH, adjusting for confounders, survey design, and study weights.

RESULTS: After an average follow-up of 6.0 years, the age-standardized cumulative incidence of LVH was 5.4% (95% CI, 4.9%-6.1%). Incidence was higher with versus without elevated depression symptoms (10.4% versus 5.1%) and in the highest versus lowest trait anxiety tertile (9.6% versus 5.2%). In multivariable Poisson models, each SD increment in symptoms of depression was associated with a 10% greater incidence (incidence rate ratio,1.10 [95% CI, 1.00-1.20) of LVH at visit 2. However, symptoms of trait anxiety at visit 1 were not independently associated with LVH at visit 2.

CONCLUSIONS: Greater depressive but not trait anxiety symptomatology was associated with LVH over 6 years. In fully adjusted models, a 1-unit increase in depression symptomatology was associated with a 10% greater likelihood of LVH. Further studies are needed to examine the pathogenetic role of negative affective psychological regulation.