title: Socioeconomic gradients in immune response to latent infection.
abstract: There is a strong relation between socioeconomic position and health outcomes, although the mechanisms are poorly understood. The authors used data from 1,503 California participants in the 1998-1999 Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging aged 60-100 years to ask whether socioeconomic position is related to immune function as measured by the body's ability to keep latent herpesvirus antibody levels in a quiescent state. Individuals with lower educational levels had significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies to cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1. The odds ratio for being in a higher tertile of cytomegalovirus antibodies was 1.54 (95% confidence interval: 1.18, 2.01) for those in the lowest educational group, and the odds ratio for being in a higher tertile of herpes simplex virus type 1 was 1.63 (95% confidence interval: 1.25, 2.13). The relation between education and cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1 antibody levels remained strong after controlling for baseline health conditions, smoking status, and body mass index. This is the first study known to show a relation between socioeconomic position and immune response to latent infection. It provides suggestive evidence that modulation of the immune system via latent infections may play a role in the observed associations between socioeconomic position and disease.
authors.affiliation: Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer Beam
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dowd
authors.forename: Mary N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Haan
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Blythe
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Allison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Aiello
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D002097:C-Reactive Protein