Physiologic Dysregulation Experienced by Immigrants is Mitigated by Immigrating at a Younger Age and Family Reunification: The Africans in America Study

Authors

• BA Bingham
• MT Duong
• PC Aldana
• M Ricks
• LS Mabundo
• M Udahogora
• D Berrigan
• AE Sumner

Abstract

Immigration from Africa to the United States is stressful. Stress causes cardiovascular, metabolic and immune dysregulation. Allostatic load score (ALS) quantifies the effect of dysregulation in these 3 systems. Our goal was to determine the influence of age of immigration and reason for immigration on ALS in 238 African immigrants (AI) (age 40±10, mean±SD, range 21-64y). ALS was calculated using 10 variables, 6 were CV (SBP, DBP, triglyceride, cholesterol, homocysteine), 4 were metabolic (BMI, A1C, albumin, eGFR) and 1 was immune (CRP). Each variable was divided into sex-specific quartiles. High risk was defined by the highest quartile for each variable except for albumin and eGFR. Each biomarker was assigned 1 point if in the high risk quartile and 0 if not. Overall, 16% of AI were childhood immigrants (arrived in US

Scientific Focus Area: Health Disparities

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