TY - JOUR
T1 - Association of educational level with inflammatory markers in the Framingham Offspring Study
AU - Loucks, Eric B.
AU - Sullivan, Lisa M.
AU - Hayes, Laura J.
AU - D'Agostino, Ralph B.
AU - Larson, Martin G.
AU - Vasan, Ramachandran S.
AU - Benjamin, Emelia J.
AU - Berkman, Lisa F.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study contract N01-HC-25195, National Institutes of Health grants 1RO1 HL076784 and 1RO1 HL64753; a Research Fellowship from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada; the Harvard Center for Society and Health; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program in Health and Society; and the Russell Sage Program in Inequality. Conflict of interest: none declared.
PY - 2006/4
Y1 - 2006/4
N2 - Socioeconomic position consistently predicts coronary heart disease; however, the biologic mechanisms that may mediate this association are not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether socioeconomic position (measured as educational level) is associated with inflammatory risk factors for coronary heart disease, including C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and P-selectin. The study sample included 2,729 participants (53.4% women; mean age, 62 ± 10 years) from the US Framingham Offspring Study cohort who attended examination cycles 3 (1984-1987) and 7 (1998-2001) and provided educational attainment data. Inflammatory markers were measured in fasting serum samples. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed, adjusting for potential confounders including age, sex, and clinical risk factors. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, educational attainment was significantly inversely associated with C-reactive protein (p < 0.0001), interleukin-6 (p < 0.0001), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (p < 0.0001), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (p = 0.0004). After further adjustment for clinical risk factors, educational level remained significantly associated with C-reactive protein (p = 0.0002), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (p = 0.01), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (p = 0.01). In conclusion, educational attainment is associated with inflammatory risk factors for coronary heart disease. The association provides evidence suggestive of a biologic pathway by which socioeconomic position may predispose to coronary heart disease.
AB - Socioeconomic position consistently predicts coronary heart disease; however, the biologic mechanisms that may mediate this association are not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether socioeconomic position (measured as educational level) is associated with inflammatory risk factors for coronary heart disease, including C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and P-selectin. The study sample included 2,729 participants (53.4% women; mean age, 62 ± 10 years) from the US Framingham Offspring Study cohort who attended examination cycles 3 (1984-1987) and 7 (1998-2001) and provided educational attainment data. Inflammatory markers were measured in fasting serum samples. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed, adjusting for potential confounders including age, sex, and clinical risk factors. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, educational attainment was significantly inversely associated with C-reactive protein (p < 0.0001), interleukin-6 (p < 0.0001), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (p < 0.0001), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (p = 0.0004). After further adjustment for clinical risk factors, educational level remained significantly associated with C-reactive protein (p = 0.0002), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (p = 0.01), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (p = 0.01). In conclusion, educational attainment is associated with inflammatory risk factors for coronary heart disease. The association provides evidence suggestive of a biologic pathway by which socioeconomic position may predispose to coronary heart disease.
KW - Cohort studies
KW - Inflammation
KW - Risk factors
KW - Social class
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U2 - 10.1093/aje/kwj076
DO - 10.1093/aje/kwj076
M3 - Article
C2 - 16421236
AN - SCOPUS:33645290780
SN - 0002-9262
VL - 163
SP - 622
EP - 628
JO - American journal of epidemiology
JF - American journal of epidemiology
IS - 7
ER -