Socioeconomic status and immune aging in older US adults in the health and retirement study

Eric T. Klopack · Bharat Thyagarajan · Jessica D. Faul · Helen C.S. Meier · Ramya Ramasubramanian · Jung Ki Kim +1 more

18 citations0/0 files storedBiodemography and Social Biology

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Health disparities and outcomes Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence Immune responses and vaccinations

Abstract

Background: Life course socioeconomic and demographic factors including educational attainment, race and ethnicity, and childhood (SES) are very powerful predictors of large inequalities in aging, morbidity, and mortality. Immune aging, including accumulation of late-differentiated, senescent-like lymphocytes and lower level of naive lymphocytes, may play a role in the development of the age-related health inequalities. However, there has been little research investigating association between socioeconomic status and immune aging, particularly age-related changes in lymphocyte percentages. Methods: This study used nationally representative data from more than 9000 US adults from the Health and Retirement Study to investigate associations between educational attainment, race and ethnicity, and childhood SES and lymphocyte percentages. Results: Respondents with lower educational attainment, Hispanic adults, and those who had a parent with less than high school education had lymphocyte percentages consistent with more highly accelerated immune aging compared to those with greater educational attainment, non-Hispanic White adults, and respondents who had parents with a high school education, respectively. Associations between education, Hispanic ethnicity, and parents' education and late differentiated senescent-like T lymphocytes (TemRA) and B cells were largely driven by cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositivity. Conclusions: Results suggest that CMV is a major driver of observed SES inequalities in immunosenescence and may therefore be an important target for interventions. Naive T lymphocytes may be particularly affected by socioeconomic position and may therefore be of particular interest to research interested in inequalities in health and aging.

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