Inflammation + Poverty = A Recipe for Dying Young

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Each year at the doctor’s office, many adults get their blood pressure taken and cholesterol levels checked. Doctors make sure you’re not anemic, have enough vitamin D and that your thyroid is working correctly. But there’s one test that some believe your doctor may be missing — one that could be life-saving for millions of people. Dying young

Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, allergies, and COPD all are life-threatening conditions and they are all chronic inflammation diseases.

Community Health & Family specialist, Arch Mainous, PhD explains, “Thirty-four percent of people, aged 20 and older, actually have, sort of, chronic inflammation.”

(Read Full Interview)

Professor Mainous is studying the impact that chronic inflammation has on the body, but his research focuses specifically on people who live in poverty. The trouble is you wouldn’t know if you had it.

In one of the largest studies of its kind, Professor Mainous found that people with chronic inflammation who also live in poverty had a 127 percent increased risk of dying from heart disease and a 196 percent increased risk of dying from cancer in the next 15 years compared to those who have only one of the risk factors. Professor Mainous hopes this research will be a call to action for new screening guidelines.

“It wouldn’t be any more complicated than a screening test for high cholesterol or a screening test for high glucose for diabetes,” explains Professor Mainous.

A new FDA-approved drug called colchicine now targets inflammation. It specifically reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease caused by inflammation.

Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer & Editor.

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Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/#:~:text=Chronic%20Inflammation-,Chronic%20inflammation%20is%20also%20referred%20to%20as%20slow%2C%20long%2Dterm,repair%20and%20overcome%20the%20damage

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38293298

https://www.formularywatch.com/view/fda-approves-first-anti-inflammatory-drug-for-cardiovascular-disease#:~:text=Developed%20by%20Agepha%20Pharma%2C%20Lodoco,cause%20of%20atherosclerotic%20cardiovascular%20disease

MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS

RESEARCH SUMMARY

TITLE:             INFLAMMATION + POVERTY = A RECIPE FOR DYING YOUNG

REPORT:        MB #5362

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation is a persistent and prolonged inflammatory response within the body that can occur as a result of various factors, including unresolved acute inflammation, autoimmune disorders, chronic infections, environmental toxins, or lifestyle factors such as poor diet, stress, and lack of exercise. Unlike acute inflammation, which is a short-term and beneficial response to tissue injury or infection, chronic inflammation can be harmful and contribute to the development of various chronic diseases. About 35 percent of American adults have chronic inflammation.

(Sources: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21660-inflammation

https://ufhealth.org/news/2024/chronic-inflammation-and-poverty-are-a-double-whammy-for-mortality-risk#:~:text=Chronic%20inflammation%2C%20however%2C%20lasts%20for,U.S.%20adults%20have%20systemic%20inflammation.)

DIAGNOSING: Symptoms of chronic inflammation include, but are not limited to: abdominal pain, chest pain, fatigue, fever, joint pain, mouth sores, skin rashes, depression, diarrhea or constipation, weight gain or weight loss, and/or frequent infections. Diagnosis of chronic inflammation often involves a combination of medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and imaging studies to identify underlying conditions or markers of inflammation, such as elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), or pro-inflammatory cytokines.

(Sources: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21660-inflammation

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/#:~:text=Tests%20for%20Chronic%20Inflammation&text=The%20two%20blood%20tests%20that,protein%20(hsCRP)%20and%20fibrinogen.)

NEW TECHNOLOGY: There have been recent studies that link chronic inflammation and poverty to an increase in mortality. “For the UF study, researchers evaluated data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics that combines survey questions with laboratory testing. The team analyzed data collected from adults ages 40 and older whose household income fell below the U.S. poverty line and whose lab tests showed elevated levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of chronic inflammation. Records were linked to the National Death Index to track mortality over a 15-year period. Those individuals living with both chronic inflammation and poverty had a 127% increased risk for dying from heart disease and a 196% increased risk for dying from cancer.”

(Source: https://ufhealth.org/news/2024/chronic-inflammation-and-poverty-are-a-double-whammy-for-mortality-risk#:~:text=Chronic%20inflammation%2C%20however%2C%20lasts%20for,U.S.%20adults%20have%20systemic%20inflammation.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:

Matthew Walker

Mwal0013@shands.ufl.edu

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com