title: Signatures of reproductive events on blood counts and biomarkers of inflammation: Implications for chronic disease risk.
abstract: Whether inflammation mediates how reproductive events affect chronic-disease risk is unclear. We studied inflammatory biomarkers in the context of reproductive events using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. From 15,986 eligible women from the 1999-2011 data cycles, we accessed information on reproductive events, blood counts, C-reactive protein (CRP), and total homocysteine (tHCY). We calculated blood-count ratios including: platelet-lymphocyte (PLR), lymphocyte-monocyte (LMR), platelet-monocyte (PMR), and neutrophil-monocyte (NMR). Using sampling weights per NHANES guidelines, means for counts, ratios, or biomarkers by reproductive events were compared using linear regression. We performed trend tests and calculated p-values with partial sum of squares F-tests. Higher PLR and lower LMR were associated with nulliparity. In postmenopausal women, lower PMR was associated with early age at first birth and higher NMR with later age at and shorter interval since last birth. Lower PNR and higher neutrophils and tHCY were associated with early natural menopause. In all women, the neutrophil count correlated positively with CRP; but, in premenopausal women, correlated inversely with tHCY. Reproductive events leave residual signatures on blood counts and inflammatory biomarkers that could underlie their links to chronic disease risk.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Cramer
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Allison F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Vitonis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000175:diagnosis; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008572:Menarche / Q000502:physiology; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010298:Parity / Q000502:physiology*; D036801:Parturition / Q000502:physiology*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006710:Homocysteine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein