Socioeconomic status and aortic atherosclerosis in Dutch elderly people - The Rotterdam Study

An inverse association has been reported between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Studies on subclinical manifes tations of atherosclerotic disease are limited and have not been carried ou t among elderly persons. The authors investigated the relation between SES and aortic atherosclerosis among elderly people. As part of the Rotterdam S tudy, data on SES and atherosclerosis were collected for 4,451 persons aged 55-94 years. Atherosclerosis was estimated by radiographic assessment of c alcified deposits in the abdominal aorta. Aortic atherosclerosis was more c ommon among women in the lower educational and occupational strata. The low est educational group and the lowest occupational group had increased risks of aortic atherosclerosis compared with the highest groups (odds ratios we re 1.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-1.6) and 1.3 (95% CI 1.0-1.8), res pectively). The odds ratios for severe atherosclerosis among women in the l owest socioeconomic stratum compared with those in the highest stratum were 1.6 (95% CI 1.0-2.7) for education, 2.8 (95% CI 1.1-7.5) for occupation, a nd 1.7 (95% CI 0.9-3.3) for income. After exclusion of persons with a histo ry of cardiovascular disease, the same trends still emerged. No relations w ere observed among men. These findings show that SES is related to aortic a therosclerosis in women. This suggests that SES affects the incidence of ca rdiovascular disease before its clinical manifestation.