Racial discrimination predicts greater systemic inflammation in pregnant African American women

Abstract

Purpose Chronic exposure to racial discrimination by pregnant African American women may lead to allostatic overload; thereby, predisposing women to systemic inflammation. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine if experiences of racial discrimination are related to systemic inflammation in pregnant African Americans. Methods A sample of 96 African American women from Chicago completed questionnaires and had blood drawn during the second trimester of pregnancy (19.7 ± 2.5 weeks). Results Experiences of racial discrimination were associated with higher cytokine levels of interleukin(IL)-4 (B=2.161, 95% CI =1.02–3.30, p<.001) and IL-6 (B = 1.859, 95% CI = .61–3.11, p= .004) when controlling for covariates. Conclusion These findings suggest that experiences of racial discrimination may cause physiological wear and tear on the body leading to alteration of immune functions. Nurses should inquire about women’s experiences of racial discrimination and make referrals for community or church support groups for women who report racial discrimination.

Narrative Medicine Meets Planetary Health: Mindsets Matter in the Anthropocene

“…The biological stories of minority and disadvantaged patients are also found in studies of discrimination; research shows that feelings of discrimination are associated with higher baseline low-grade inflammation [188][189][190]. When subjected to experimental stress, individuals with higher levels of perceived discrimination also have a magnified inflammatory response [191].…”

Prenatal cigarette smoking as a mediator between racism and depressive symptoms: The Biosocial Impact on Black Births Study

“…Pregnant Black women, as expected, are more likely to be exposed to racial discrimination, defined as being hassled or made to feel inferior due to one’s race, ethnicity, or color(Krieger et al, 2010) compared with pregnant non‐Hispanic White women (Dominguez, Dunkel‐Schetter, Glynn, Hobel, & Sandman, 2008). Among 96 pregnant Black women from Chicago, 53% reported any lifetime racial discrimination (Giurgescu et al, 2016). The most frequently reported situations of racial discrimination were related to service in a store or restaurant (34%); getting hired or getting a job (20%); and interactions on the street or in a public setting (20%; Giurgescu et al, 2016).…”

“…Among 96 pregnant Black women from Chicago, 53% reported any lifetime racial discrimination (Giurgescu et al, 2016). The most frequently reported situations of racial discrimination were related to service in a store or restaurant (34%); getting hired or getting a job (20%); and interactions on the street or in a public setting (20%; Giurgescu et al, 2016). A study of 778 pregnant and postpartum Black women from Baltimore assessed racial discrimination using four items: (a) overall, during your lifetime, how much have you personally experienced racism, racial prejudice, or racial discrimination; (b) during the past year, how much have you personally experienced racism, racial prejudice, or racial discrimination; (c) how much racism had affected the life experiences of people close to them; and (d) how much had they thought racism affected the lives of others belonging to their racial/ethnic group (Slaughter‐Acey, Talley, Stevenson, & Misra, 2019).…”

Glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity in early pregnancy in an African American cohort

“…GC resistance is associated with loss of the normal negative association between GC concentration and indicators of inflammatory immune activation 4 . In obstetrical populations, few studies of GC sensitivity have focused on African American populations, who may experience and embody chronic exposure to racial discrimination uniquely 1,20‐23 . Moreover, there are only a few large‐scale studies in human pregnancy that have measured both cytokines and HPA axis hormones, and none of these directly measured glucocorticoid sensitivity at the cellular level 4,24,25 .…”