Publications by authors named "Wassertheil-Smoller S"
Cancer Incidence in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) - The Onco-SOL Ancillary Study.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
January 2025
Background: Few studies have examined how cancer incidence varies by country of origin among United States Hispanic/Latino adults. Herein, we describe the incidence rates of cancer overall and for screen-detectable, tobacco-related, and obesity-related cancers among 16,415 participants in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), an ongoing population-based cohort study of Hispanic/Latino adults from diverse backgrounds.
Methods: Cohort participant records were linked to the state cancer registries in New York, Florida, California, and Illinois to ascertain cancer incidence from baseline (2008-2011) through 2021.
Aim: Investigate associations between religion and spirituality (R&S) and DNA methylation of four HPA-axis genes (i.e. 14 CpG sites) among 992 adults from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos cohorts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death for Hispanic/Latino populations in the United States. We evaluated polygenic risk scores (PRS) with incident myocardial infarction (MI) in a Hispanic/Latino study sample.
Methods: We leveraged data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) to assess four CHD-PRS from the PGS catalog, derived using multiple methods (LDpred, AnnoPred, stacked clumping and thresholding, and LDPred2).
Background: Women who reach menarche and menopause at earlier ages have been shown to be at increased risk for numerous conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, and obesity; however, risk factors for earlier ages of menarche and menopause are not fully understood. Therefore, we aimed to perform a retrospective investigation of the associations between a personal birthweight and/or being born preterm and the age of and menarche and menopause and related events in the Women's Health Initiative, a large, racially and ethnically diverse cohort of postmenopausal women.
Methods: At study entry, women reported their birthweight by category (< 6 lbs.
Study Objectives: Sex differences are related to both biological factors and the gendered environment. We constructed measures to model sex-related differences beyond binary sex.
Methods: Data came from the baseline visit of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).
Introduction: The potential utility of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) as an early risk marker of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is under consideration. We examined associations between SCD and cognitive change among middle-aged and older Hispanic/Latino adults living in the United States.
Methods: The short-form Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog-12) was assessed to generate global, executive function, and memory-related SCD scores.
Key Points: The predictive performance of an African ancestry–specific polygenic risk score (PRS) was comparable to a European ancestry–derived PRS for kidney traits. However, multi-ancestry PRSs outperform single-ancestry PRSs in Black American populations. Predictive accuracy of PRSs for CKD was improved with the use of race-free eGFR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite the high burden of anxiety and hypertension in Hispanic/Latino adults, little is known about their association in this population.
Purpose: To examine the associations of anxiety symptoms with 6-year changes in blood pressure (BP) and incident hypertension in Hispanic/Latino adults.
Methods: We examined data from a probability sample of 10,881 Hispanic/Latino persons aged 18-74 who attended visits 1 (V1; 2008-2011) and 2 (V2; 2014-2017) of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a prospective cohort study.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined how depressive symptoms, use of antidepressants, and accelerated epigenetic aging relate to the risk of death in postmenopausal women through data from the Women's Health Initiative.
- Over a median follow-up of 20.4 years, they found that 1,161 participants had died, with noticeable links between antidepressant use, increased depressive symptoms, and a higher risk of mortality.
- The research suggested that accelerated epigenetic aging could partially explain why antidepressant use is connected to greater mortality risk, emphasizing the need for further studies across diverse groups.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the relationship between sleep apnea severity and hypertension in Hispanic/Latino adults, who often experience high rates of uncontrolled blood pressure, leading to cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Data was collected from 2,849 participants with hypertension, focusing on their sleep apnea levels and how these correlate with their blood pressure management while on antihypertensive medications.
- Results indicate that moderate-to-severe sleep apnea is linked to an increased likelihood of resistant hypertension, suggesting that addressing sleep apnea could help improve blood pressure control and reduce CVD risks in this population.
Background: Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who lack traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as young females, are observed to experience adverse CVD outcomes. Whether women with IBD have increased CVD risk after the menopause transition is unclear.
Methods: We conducted a survival analysis of Women's Health Initiative (WHI) participants and excluded those with missing IBD diagnosis, model covariate data, follow-up data, or a baseline history of the following CVD outcomes: coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke, venous thromboembolism (VTE), peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Background: Sex differences are related to both biological factors and the gendered environment. To untangle sex-related effects on health and disease it is important to model sex-related differences better.
Methods: Data came from the baseline visit of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a longitudinal cohort study following 16,415 individuals recruited at baseline from four study sites: Bronx NY, Miami FL, San Diego CA, and Chicago IL.
Background: The relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and longevity is not fully understood. We aimed to determine which SBP levels in women ≥65 years of age with or without blood pressure medication were associated with the highest probability of surviving to 90 years of age.
Methods: The study population consisted of 16 570 participants enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative who were eligible to survive to 90 years of age by February 28, 2020, without a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer.
Article Synopsis
- Prediabetes varies among individuals and presents different risks for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), as demonstrated in a study involving genetic data from Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic White participants.
- Researchers identified six distinct clusters of prediabetic individuals based on genetic risk scores, with some clusters showing a higher likelihood of progressing to T2D.
- A healthier lifestyle was linked to reduced T2D risk across the clusters, with varying effects, particularly stronger in one cluster that had a similar risk to another despite differing genetic predispositions.
Inflammation can play a role in the pathophysiology of depression, and specific types of antidepressants may have inflammatory or anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, depression and antidepressant use has been linked to white blood cell (WBC) count, a routinely measured inflammatory marker. We examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships of depressive symptoms and/or antidepressant use with WBC count among postmenopausal women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: All-cause mortality among diverse Hispanic/Latino groups in the United States and factors underlying mortality differences have not been examined prospectively.
Objective: To describe cumulative all-cause mortality (and factors underlying differences) by Hispanic/Latino background, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design: Prospective, multicenter cohort study.
Background: Although the subject of numerous studies, the associations between dietary sodium, potassium, and the ratio of dietary sodium to potassium with blood pressure are not clear-cut. In addition, there is a paucity of research on these relationships in prospective cohort studies with representation from diverse Hispanic/Latino adults.
Objectives: To evaluate the associations between dietary intake of sodium, potassium, and the ratio of dietary sodium to potassium and blood pressure in a diverse sample of Hispanics living in the United States.
Background: Hypertension can have deleterious effects on cognitive function; however, few studies have examined its effects on cognition among Hispanics/Latinos.
Objective: To assess associations between hypertension status with 1) change in cognitive performance, and 2) having mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among diverse Hispanics/Latinos.
Methods: This population-based, prospective cohort, multisite study included Hispanic/Latino adults aged 45 to 72 years in enrolled in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos at Visit 1 (2008-2011; mean age of 63.
Article Synopsis
- - A new multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) of major depression (MD) analyzed data from 88,316 cases and 902,757 controls, representing various ancestries including African, East Asian, South Asian, and Hispanic/Latin American.
- - The study discovered 53 novel genetic loci significantly linked to MD, with fewer existing European ancestry loci proving relevant to other ancestry groups.
- - A transcriptome-wide association study in this research identified 205 new genes associated with MD, highlighting the importance of diverse ancestry in genetic research for better understanding and finding relevant genes.
Background: Life's Essential 8 (LE8) is a new metric to define cardiovascular health. We aimed to describe LE8 among Hispanics/Latinos and its association with incident hypertension.
Methods And Results: The HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos) is a study of Hispanic/Latino adults aged 18 to 74 years from 4 US communities.
Purpose Of Review: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) has made important contributions on the prevalence of and factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among diverse Hispanic/Latino adults in the US. This article summarizes the knowledge gained thus far on major CVD risk factors from this landmark study.
Recent Findings: HCHS/SOL demonstrated the sizeable burdens of CVD risk in all major Hispanic/Latino groups in the US, as well as the marked variations in prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity, and smoking by sex and background.
Introduction: Polygenic Risk Scores (PRSs) are summaries of genetic risk alleles for an outcome.
Methods: We used summary statistics from five GWASs of AD to construct PRSs in 4,189 diverse Hispanics/Latinos (mean age 63 years) from the Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (SOL-INCA). We assessed the PRS associations with MCI in the combined set of people and in diverse subgroups, and when including and excluding the APOE gene region.
Background: Associations of weight changes and intentionality of weight loss with longevity are not well described.
Methods: Using longitudinal data from the Women's Health Initiative (N = 54 437; 61-81 years), we examined associations of weight changes and intentionality of weight loss with survival to ages 90, 95, and 100. Weight was measured at baseline, year 3, and year 10, and participants were classified as having weight loss (≥5% decrease from baseline), weight gain (≥5% increase from baseline), or stable weight (<5% change from baseline).
Background: High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a marker of systemic inflammation that has been associated with persistent depressive symptoms. Depression and anxiety are frequently associated with a chronic inflammatory state, yet the nature of this relationship has not been rigorously examined in diverse Hispanic/Latino populations. We aimed to study the association of anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as comorbid presentations, with circulating high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in a large Latino cohort of diverse heritages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The association between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and longevity is not fully understood. We aimed to determine survival probabilities to age 90 for various SBP levels among women aged ≥ 65 years with or without BP medication.
Methods: We analyzed blood pressure data from participants in the Women's Health Initiative (n=16,570) who were aged 65 or older and without history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer.