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Increasing evidence supports the importance of socioeconomic factors in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the association of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) with arterial stiffness in adulthood has not been reported. Our aim was to determine whether higher childhood family-level SES is associated with lower arterial stiffness in adulthood. The analyses were performed using data gathered within the longitudinal Young Finns Study. The sample comprised 2566 participants who had data concerning family SES at ages 3 to 18 years in 1980 and arterial pulse wave velocity and carotid artery distensibility measured 21 or 27 years later in adulthood. Higher family SES in childhood was associated with lower arterial stiffness in adulthood; carotid artery distensibility being higher ( β value±SE, 0.029±0.0089%/10 mm Hg; P =0.001) and pulse wave velocity lower ( β value±SE, -0.062±0.022 m/s; P =0.006) among those with higher family SES in a multivariable analysis adjusted with age, sex, and conventional childhood cardiometabolic risk factors. The association remained significant after further adjustment for participant's SES in adulthood ( β value±SE, 0.026±0.010%/10 mm Hg; P =0.01 for carotid artery distensibility and β value±SE, -0.048±0.023 m/s; P =0.04 for pulse wave velocity) but attenuated after adjustment for adulthood cardiometabolic risk factors ( β value±SE, 0.015±0.008%/10 mm Hg; P =0.08 for carotid artery distensibility and β value±SE, -0.019±0.02 m/s; P =0.38 for pulse wave velocity). In conclusion, we observed an association between higher family SES in childhood and lower arterial stiffness in adulthood. Our findings suggest that special attention could be paid to children from low SES families to prevent cardiometabolic diseases primordially., (© 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background: The association between depressive symptoms and subclinical atherosclerosis has been inconsistent., Purpose: We sought to replicate our previous study, which demonstrated a positive relation between depressive symptoms and subclinical atherosclerosis assessed with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in men, using a newer measurement of carotid IMT and a cumulative loading of depressive symptoms over three follow-ups., Methods: The sample comprised 996 adults (352 men) aged 30 to 45 years in 2007 from a prospective population-based Finnish sample. The participants completed a modified version of Beck Depression Inventory in 1992, 1997, and 2001. Carotid IMT was assessed with ultrasound in 2001 and 2007. Cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., body mass index, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and smoking) were measured in childhood (1980) and in adulthood (2007)., Results: We found no association between the accumulative depression index and carotid IMT before or after controlling for the traditional risk factors (all p values ≥0.67). Depressive symptoms did not predict IMT progression over two time points and the highest level of carotid wall thickening. Imputed and non-imputed data sets provided similar results. Results remained the same when men and women were analyzed separately. Additional analyses revealed no significant interactions between depressive symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., body mass index and systolic blood pressure) on carotid IMT (all p values >0.15)., Conclusions: The findings of this population-based study did not indicate any direct association between depressive symptoms and carotid IMT in asymptomatic, young adults.

The effect of acute mental stress on atherosclerosis can be estimated using arterial elasticity measured by carotid artery distensibility (Cdist). We examined the interactive effect of acute stress-induced cardiac reactivity and Cdist to preclinical atherosclerosis assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in 58 healthy adults aged 24-39 years participated in the epidemiological Young Finns Study. Cdist and IMT were measured ultrasonographically. Impedance electrocardiography was used to measure acute mental stress-induced cardiac autonomic responses: heart rate (HR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia and pre-ejection period after the mental arithmetic and the public speaking tasks. Interactions between HR reactivity and Cdist in relation to preclinical atherosclerosis were found. The results imply that elevated HR reactivity to acute mental stress is related to less atherosclerosis among healthy participants with higher arterial elasticity. Possibly, increased cardiac reactivity in response to challenging tasks is an adaptive reaction related to better cardiovascular health.

Objective: Interleukin-6 protein has been suggested as a mediator connecting chronic stress and cardiovascular diseases. We investigated whether the functional G174C polymorphism (rs1800795) of interleukin-6 gene is associated with vital exhaustion, a measure of chronic stress, or with preclinical atherosclerosis., Methods: Associations between the interleukin-6-174G>C polymorphism, preclinical atherosclerosis, and vital exhaustion were examined in 1673 women and men aged 24-39years participating in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study. Vital exhaustion was measured using Maastricht Questionnaire. Preclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by carotid intima-media thickness using ultrasound techniques. DNA was genotyped for the interleukin-6-174G>C polymorphism (rs1800795)., Results: The GG genotype of the interleukin-6-174G>C polymorphism was associated with higher vital exhaustion. Moreover, higher vital exhaustion was associated with greater intima-media thickness in men carrying G alleles, adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors., Conclusion: Our findings support a role for the interleukin-6-174G>C polymorphism in increased risk of atherosclerosis in individuals with chronic stress. In addition, individuals carrying the G allele of the interleukin-6-174G>C polymorphism may be more prone to adverse effects of psychosocial stress., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We examined the association between adulthood emotionality-activity-sociability temperament scale and preclinical atherosclerosis and, whether this association is mediated by cardiovascular risk factors (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and body-mass index (BMI)). The participants were a nationally representative sample of 537 men and 811 women from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study aged 15-30 years at the baseline in 1992 and aged 24-39 years at the follow-up in 2001. Carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by ultrasound scans of the common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD). In men, there was an association between the temperament dimension activity and IMT (β = 0.08, p = 0.036) which was partially mediated by BMI (β decreased from 0.08 to 0.05; p-value of Sobel test = 0.002). However, after correction for multiple comparisons the association between IMT and the temperament dimension activity in men was only of borderline significance. In women, there were no associations between temperament and IMT or FMD. These results suggest that a highly active temperament may contribute to early signs of atherosclerosis in men and that body mass may mediate this association.

We investigated the associations of anger and cynicism with carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and whether these associations were moderated by childhood or adulthood socioeconomic status (SES). The participants were 647 men and 893 women derived from the population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Childhood SES was measured in 1980 when the participants were aged 3-18. In 2001, adulthood SES, anger, cynicism, and IMT were measured. There were no associations between anger or cynicism and IMT in the entire population, but anger was associated with thicker IMT in participants who had experienced low SES in childhood. This association persisted after adjustment for a host of cardiovascular risk factors. It is concluded that the ill health-effects of psychological factors such as anger may be more pronounced in individuals who have been exposed to adverse socioeconomic circumstances early in life.

We examined whether preemployment influences confounded the association between job strain and atherosclerosis. We assessed biological, familial, and socioeconomic risk factors of coronary heart disease at 12 to 18 years of age and job strain and carotid artery intima-media thickness at 33 to 39 years of age for a cohort of 358 men. Adolescent risk factors predicted adult intima-media thickness but had little effect on the dose-response relation between greater job strain and greater intima-media thickness. Pre-employment influences did not confound the association between job strain and atherosclerosis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether job strain and social support are associated with early atherosclerosis measured by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in young adults., Methods: The subjects were 478 men and 542 women (mean age 32.3) who were participating in the ongoing prospective Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study. Job strain was defined as a joint effect of job demands and job control. Early atherosclerosis was determined with IMT ultrasound. The associations between job strain, social support, and IMT were evaluated using multiple linear regressions., Results: In men, job strain was associated with increased IMT after adjustment for age. This association was not attenuated by additional adjustment for established risk factors of coronary heart disease. In women, job strain was not associated with IMT. No 3-way interaction of job demand, job control, and social support on IMT was found., Conclusion: These findings suggest that job strain may be related to atherosclerosis already in its early nonsymptomatic stages in men.