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Psychological distress and circulating inflammatory markers in healthy young adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2010

S. Goldman-Mellor ,
L. Brydon  and
A. Steptoe
S. Goldman-Mellor*
Affiliation:
Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California–Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
L. Brydon
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
A. Steptoe
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: S. Goldman-Mellor, U.C. Berkeley School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, 101 Haviland Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7358, USA. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

Although a substantial body of research points to a link between psychological distress and inflammatory responses in middle-aged and older adults, particularly those with cardiovascular disease, the relationship between inflammation and distress in young, healthy individuals has not been established. This study was designed to investigate the cross-sectional association between psychological distress and inflammatory proteins in a young, healthy representative population of English adults.

Method

Participants were 1338 individuals aged 16–34 years from the 2006 Health Survey for England (HSE). Blood samples to measure plasma fibrinogen and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), as well as measures of psychological distress (using the General Health Questionnaire 12-item scale, GHQ-12) and covariates, were collected during home visits. Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between psychological distress and fibrinogen and hsCRP.

Results

Higher self-rated distress was positively associated with fibrinogen level in this young population, independently of age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, smoking, and alcohol and medication use (β=0.024, p<0.01). Psychological distress was not related to hsCRP.

Conclusions

Psychological distress may negatively impact inflammatory processes in young adulthood before the onset of chronic health problems such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Longitudinal research is needed to elucidate the relationship between distress and inflammation in young adults and its significance for later disease states.

Keywords

Coagulationcoronary heart diseaseemotional distressinflammationpsychological factors
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 40 , Issue 12 , December 2010 , pp. 2079 - 2087
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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