title: Social determinants and heat shock protein-70 among African American and non-Hispanic white women with atherosclerosis: a pilot study.
abstract: African American (AA) women are nearly twice as likely as non-Hispanic White (NHW) women to develop atherosclerosis associated with cardiovascular disease. Compelling evidence demonstrates that stress-related biomarkers, such as heat shock protein-70 (HSP70), are associated with increased atherosclerosis risk. Yet little is known about how social factors such as perceived discrimination, subjective social status, and socioeconomic status contribute to the levels of these biomarkers in women with atherosclerosis. The aims of this pilot study were to (1) describe perceived everyday discrimination, subjective social status, perceived stress, and HSP70 level in AA and NHW women diagnosed with coronary or carotid artery disease requiring intervention and (2) determine the extent to which perceived discrimination, subjective social status, and perceived stress are associated with HSP70 level, controlling for age, education, and race. The sample for this cross-sectional, descriptive pilot study consisted of 10 AA and 21 NHW women admitted to the hospital for elective percutaneous cardiac intervention or carotid endarterectomy. Participants completed questionnaires measuring psychosocial variables and provided blood samples for analysis of HSP70. Race, age, education, perceived stress, perceived discrimination, and subjective social status significantly (p = .022) explained 34% of the variance in HSP70 levels. However, only subjective social status (p = .031) and AA race (p = .031) were significant independent predictors of HSP70 levels, with lower subjective social status and AA race associated with higher HSP70. Although larger studies are needed to confirm these results, findings imply that race and subjective social status may play an important role in predicting stress biomarker levels.
authors.affiliation: Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, IL, USA ksaban@luc.edu.
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Saban
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoppensteadt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Fred B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Holli A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: DeVon
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D063508:Social Discrimination
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins
keywords: African Americans; cardiovascular disease; discrimination; health status disparities; heat shock protein-70; subjective social status