Abstract 11555: Prevalence of Depressive and Anxiety Related Symptoms Among Patients Living with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Introduction: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common heart condition that affects at least 1:500 individuals in the United States. Patients with HCM can suffer from life-threatening arrhythmias, requiring implantable cardiac devices and several limitations in daily life activities. Only limited data exist describing impacts on quality of life among these patients. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that patients living with HCM may suffer from an increased prevalence of depressive or anxiety related symptoms. Methods: Patients were approached via survey invitation on the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA) website. Surveys were made accessible to all the members of the HCMA who had provided an active email address. Survey data were collected via the HCMA and de-identified for subsequent analyses. Demographic variables along with 40 questions assessing signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety were included. Answers to questions ranged from never to nearly always and were transformed on a Likert scale. Results: Survey invitations were sent to 1425 patients/families with HCM. Of these, 737 (52%) completed the survey adequately. Around 93% of respondents were Caucasian, with a mean age of 52.1 ±1.4, and composed of almost an equal number of men and women. Around 70% of patients with HCM reported that they never or rarely felt worthless, helpless, hopeless, anxious or depressed. Meanwhile, less than 3% reported depressive or anxiety related symptoms on a daily basis. On the contrary, around 52% of respondents found it difficult to engage in daily exercise or activities such as lifting items and helping with household chores. Conclusions: In conclusion, patients with HCM infrequently suffered from depressive or anxiety related symptoms, while many reported increased levels of exercise-related limitations. Further studies are warranted to better understand the effects of HCM on the physical and psychological well-being.