The Risks of Poor Health and Higher Mortality Linked to Inflammation and Poverty
Recent research has shed light on a powerful connection between chronic inflammation and poverty, revealing a tandem impact that worsens health risks and shortens life expectancy in the United States.
Scientists delved into data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), employing high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels to gauge inflammation. Their focus was on individuals facing both poverty and chronic inflammation, uncovering significantly graver health outcomes compared to those affected by either factor alone. The study also factored in household income against the poverty threshold.
Key Findings:
Poverty coupled with chronic inflammation results in notably worse health outcomes than either factor on its own.
Analysis of data from almost 95 million adults in NHANES disclosed a 127% increased risk of heart disease mortality and a staggering 196% elevated risk of cancer mortality for those dealing with both poverty and inflammation.
The study underscores the importance of targeted healthcare interventions to address the combined impact of poverty and inflammation on mortality.
Source: Frontiers
In the US, about 11.4% of the population, roughly 37.9 million people, lived below the poverty line in 2022. Extensive evidence already shows that poverty adversely affects physical and mental health, leading to a heightened risk of conditions like mental illness, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and ultimately, lower life expectancy.
The mechanisms through which poverty influences health are diverse. Individuals facing poverty encounter challenges in accessing healthy food, clean water, safe housing, education, and healthcare services.
Now, groundbreaking research indicates that poverty's effects may join forces with another risk factor, chronic inflammation, compounding health issues and further reducing life expectancy. The study, published in Frontiers in Medicine, emphasizes that health outcomes for Americans grappling with poverty and chronic inflammation are notably worse than anticipated based on the separate impacts of these factors.
Lead author Dr. Arch Mainous, a professor at the University of Florida, highlights the need for clinicians to consider the impact of inflammation on individuals' health, especially those experiencing poverty.
Inflammation, a natural response to infections or injuries, becomes problematic when chronic – triggered by environmental toxins, specific diets, autoimmune disorders, or chronic diseases. Chronic inflammation poses a known risk for disease and mortality, akin to poverty.
NHANES, a long-standing survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, provided the data for the study. Researchers analyzed information from adults aged 40 and older, tracking their health status from 1999 to 2002 until December 31, 2019.
The poverty index ratio, calculated by dividing household income by the official poverty threshold, served as a standard measure of poverty. Chronic inflammation was assessed through plasma concentration of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a well-studied indicator included in NHANES data.
Participants were categorized into four groups: with or without chronic inflammation, and living below the poverty line or not. The 15-year mortality rate was then compared, revealing that the combined effect of inflammation and poverty on mortality is not merely additive but synergistic.
Dr. Frank A. Orlando, the study's second author, explains that individuals facing both inflammation and poverty exhibited a 127% increased heart disease mortality risk and a striking 196% increased cancer mortality risk – results far surpassing what would be expected if the effects were simply additive.
The findings suggest a potential need for healthcare professionals to routinely screen socially disadvantaged individuals for chronic inflammation and consider appropriate treatments. However, more research is necessary before prescribing long-term anti-inflammatory drugs routinely.
In conclusion, the study prompts a shift from merely documenting the health problems linked to inflammation to actively addressing and mitigating these issues, especially for socially vulnerable groups such as those living in poverty.
BRAIN RESEARCH' FRONTIERS" HEALTH" INFLAMMATION" LONGEVITY" NEUROBIOLOGY" NEUROSCIENCE" POVERTY