The Effects of Ethnic Discrimination and Socioeconomic Status on Endothelin-1 Among Blacks and Whites

Abstract

BACKGROUND Ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) may partially reflect differences in chronic stress burden that vary by social class and exposure to ethnic discrimination. Stress is associated with increased endothelin-1 (ET-1). This study examined the relationship of ET-1 to socioeconomic status (SES) and to perceived ethnic discrimination among black (n = 51) and white (n = 65) adults (mean age 36.5). METHODS The Perceived Discrimination subscale of the Scale of Ethnic Experience measured exposure to discrimination and the Hollingshead Two-Factor Index of Social Position assessed SES. Plasma ET-1 was sampled upon awakening after an overnight admission. RESULTS SES and ET-1 levels were similar across ethnic groups, but mean discrimination scores were higher among blacks than whites (P < 0.001). Multiple regressions found that the SES × ethnicity interaction was associated with ET-1 (P < 0.05), after adjustment for gender, resting mean arterial pressure (MAP), body mass index (BMI), and exercise frequency. Regressions stratified by ethnicity revealed that lower SES correlated with higher ET-1 in whites (P < 0.001), but not blacks, and accounted for 21% of the variance. Another series of regressions revealed an interaction effect of ethnicity by discrimination on ET-1 (P < 0.05). Increased discrimination correlated with increased ET-1 among blacks (P < 0.05), but not whites, and explained 11% of the variance after adjustment for SES, gender, exercise frequency, and socially desirable response bias. CONCLUSIONS Thus, ET-1 levels increased in association with different psychosocial burdens in blacks and whites. Plasma ET-1 was higher among whites with lower SES and among blacks with higher levels of perceived ethnic discrimination, regardless of SES.

Elevated Plasma Endothelin-1 Levels in Normal Tension Glaucoma and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Meta-Analysis

“…Second, the subjects in these studies were of different socioeconomic status, which might be another reason for heterogeneity. Cooper et al [33] found that ET-1 levels actually increased in association with different psychosocial burdens in blacks and whites, and plasma ET-1 levels were higher among whites with lower socioeconomic status. Moreover, Hong et al [34] reported that ET-1 levels were higher in the low and middle social classes as compared with the upper class.…”

Perceived discrimination and markers of cardiovascular risk among low‐income African American youth

“…Moreover, high levels of discrimination are associated with shortened leukocyte telomeres in African American males who report high levels of internalized racial bias in conjunction with discrimination (Chae et al 2014)—a particularly important factor given the inverse association between telomere length and cardiovascular disease risk (Fitzpatrick et al 2007). Finally, among both African American men and women chronic discrimination is also linked to elevated levels of the vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (Cooper et al 2009). Indeed, in conjunction with our results, these studies further illustrate the need for prospective systematic examinations of the discrimination-health link during childhood and adolescence.…”

Acute Pressor Response to Psychosocial Stress Is Dependent on Endothelium‐Derived Endothelin‐1

“…Multiple studies have demonstrated an increase in plasma ET‐1 levels in response to laboratory‐induced acute psychosocial stress in healthy, at risk, and diseased human subjects 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. In population studies, psychosocial risk factors were associated with elevated plasma ET‐1 levels,17, 18 and acute psychosocial stress‐induced acute coronary syndrome was associated with a robust elevation in plasma ET‐1 levels 19. In rodents, experimental acute psychosocial stress, in the form of restraint with air jet stress, leads to an increase in plasma ET‐1 levels in both wild‐type and prehypertensive rats 20, 21.…”