Atypical Depression, Body Mass, and Left Ventricular Mass: Analysis of Data from CARDIA

This study investigated possible relationships among subtypes of depression (typical vs. atypical), body mass, and left ventricular mass (LVM). Data from the CARDIA study (years 5 and 10) were used to investigate the model. Depression subtype was determined from CES-D scores at year 5 identifying atypical depression (AD) specifier symptoms. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated at years 5 and 10 (kg/m2). M-mode echocardiography ascertained LVM at years 5 and 10. BMI increases were significantly associated with LVM increases (p<0.001). There was a race-by-sex-by-depression group interaction (p=0.016), such that depression was associated with year 10 LVM in white males only, but AD did not fully explain the relationship. Mediational analyses indicated that in white males, BMI mediated all depression subtype associations with LVM except the AD vs. typical depression comparison. These results suggest the potential importance of depression subtypes in CVD risk assessment. The model and three-way interaction should be investigated further.