OBJECTIVES: To examine an association between temporal changes in depressive symptom levels and risk for stroke by sex among Black and White individuals. METHOD: Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective cohort study of Black and White adults 45 and older, stroke-free at baseline (2003-2007), with follow-up through January 2023. Exposures Self-reported time-varying depressive symptoms, sex, and race. Main Outcomes and Measures Physician-adjudicated incident stroke, adjusting for risk factors and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 20,293 participants. There were 11,438 women (56%) and 7521 Black participants (37%). We observed 87,418 transitions in depressive symptoms, with 3621 transitions from High to High (HH) levels, 4710 from Low to High (LH), 5683 from High to Low (HL), and 73,404 from Low to Low (LL) levels. Findings indicated that women from both races in the HH group, and the Black men in the LH group were at a higher risk of stroke. CONCLUSION: Stroke risk was higher among women (regardless of race) and Black men. These subgroups may require early screening and treatment to prevent stroke.
Andrabi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.