Self-rated health and interleukin-6: Longitudinal relationships in older adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Both self-rated health (SRH) and inflammation are implicated in chronic diseases and premature mortality. Better SRH is associated with lower proinflammatory cytokines, but there is little evidence about whether this relationship is more stable or dynamic.

Objective

To study the between- and within-person associations between SRH and IL-6.

Methods

Older adults (N=131; Mage=75 years) rated their health and provided blood samples for analysis of IL-6 at separate occasions every 6 months over a period up to 5 years. Age, sex, BMI, neuroticism, and statin use were examined as covariates in multilevel models.

Results

In bivariate models, better SRH, lower BMI, younger age, and female sex correlated with lower IL-6. In multilevel models, stable SRH (betwee

SUBMITTER: Arnberg FK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4828288 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature