title: Unemployment and ill health: a connection through inflammation?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Unemployment is a source of acute and long-term psychosocial stress. Acute and chronic psychosocial stress can induce pronounced changes in human immune responses. In this study we tested our hypothesis that stress-induced low-grade tissue inflammation is more prevalent among the unemployed.
  
  
  METHODS
  We determined the inflammatory status of 225 general population subjects below the general retirement age (65 years in Finland). Those who had levels of both interleukin-6 (>or= 0.97 pg/mL) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (>or= 1.49 mg/L) above the median were assessed to have an elevated inflammatory status (n = 72).
  
  
  RESULTS
  An elevated inflammatory status was more common among the unemployed than among other study participants (59% versus 30%, p = 0.011). In the final multivariate model, those who were unemployed had over five-fold greater odds for having an elevated inflammatory status (OR 5.20, 95% CI 1.55-17.43, p = 0.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This preliminary finding suggests that stress-induced low-grade inflammation might be a link between unemployment and ill health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Kuopio, FI-70210 Kuopio, Finland. jukka.hintikka@kuh.fi
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hintikka
authors.forename: Soili M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lehto
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Niskanen
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huotari
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Herzig
authors.forename: Heli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koivumaa-Honkanen
authors.forename: Kirsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honkalampi
authors.forename: Sanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sinikallio
authors.forename: Heimo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Viinamäki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D057172:Economic Recession; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D002097:C-Reactive Protein