Objective
Our study explored the association between depressive symptoms and non-fatal cardiovascular disease, as well as other significant risk factors for non-fatal cardiovascular disease, in middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension in China.
Design
Prospective cohort study.
Setting
Data were sourced from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database over a 9-year period (2011–2020).
Participants
Middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension aged 45 and above in China.
Outcome measures
Non-fatal cardiovascular disease was ascertained based on self-reported, physician-diagnosed heart disease. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10.
Results
A total of 1755 participants were enrolled in the prospective cohort study. The incidence of non-fatal cardiovascular diseases among patients with hypertension was 5 per 1000 person-months. There was a positive linear correlation between depressive symptoms and the risk of non-fatal cardiovascular diseases (pnon-linear=0.625). Meanwhile, an inverted U-shaped relationship was identified between baseline duration of hypertension and risk of non-fatal cardiovascular diseases; those experiencing hypertension for 15 years had the highest risk, with the risk decreasing for durations above or below this value (pnon-linear