Relation between depressive symptoms and cytokines associated with cardio- metabolic risk in African American women

摘要

Cardiometabolic diseases are the most prevalent diseases in the United States. Depressive symptoms are considered to be significant risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, however, it is not clear if the relation between depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic risk is applicable in diverse populations. We examined the relations of depressive symptom subtypes to cardiometabolic disease-associated cytokines in a sample of African-American women. Participants were 30 African-American women (average age=59years) living in low income neighborhoods of Washington, DC who completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Revised scale (CESD-R) and provided blood samples. Multiple regression analyses examined whether the CESD-R total score and the CESD-R subscales (entered separately) were associated with IL-1b, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-18. Analyses were adjusted for age, average physical activity level (as measured using physical activity tracker data), and body mass index (BMI). Results showed that sadness, loss of interest, and worthlessness were associated with increased levels of both IL-1b and IL-18, however, only IL-1b was associated with greater feelings of depression (total score), fatigue, and poorer sleep. IL-6 and IL-8 were not shown to have any significant relationship with any depressive symptom subtypes. These results indicate that depressive symptoms in African American women are associated with increased levels of inflammation, suggesting that negative psychological well- being may modulate the immune system in a manner that increases risk for development of cardiometabolic diseases.