Greater incidence of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy in black men than in white men in Evans County, Georgia.

Population-based studies of black populations in the United States and Puerto Rico have reported higher prevalences of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy compared to white or lighter-skinned populations residing in the same areas. This study examines the incidence and correlates of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy in a population-based, biracial cohort of 435 white and 163 black men from the Evans County, Georgia, Heart Study, who were examined at entry in 1960 and reexamined in 1967. Only men over 35 years of age who were free of cardiovascular disease and had normal electrocardiograms at entry were eligible. Black men had a nearly fourfold greater incidence of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy compared to white men (13.5% vs 3.7%, respectively; incidence ratio 3.7; 95% CI 3.2-4.4). After statistically adjusting for age, systolic blood pressure, weight, and the change in weight and blood pressure, black men had a threefold greater incidence of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy compared to white men (logistic odds ratio 3.0; 95% CI 1.6-6.1). In summary, black men showed a significantly greater risk of developing electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy at 7-year follow-up in Evans County compared to their white counterparts. This elevated risk could not be explained by the independent or joint effects of risks factors for electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy.