Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Immune Dysregulation And Glucocorticoid Resistance In Minority And Low Income Pregnant Women, Elizabeth J. Corwin, Ying Guo, Kathleen Pajer, Nancy Lowe, Donna O. Mccarthy, Sarah Schmiege, Mary Weber, Thaddeus Pace, Brian Stafford

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Chronic prenatal stress contributes to poor birth outcomes for women and infants. Importantly, poor birth outcomes are most common among minority and low income women. To investigate underlying mechanisms, we tested the hypothesis that chronic stress related to minority or low income status is associated with glucocorticoid resistance as indicated by disruption in the cytokine-glucocorticoid feedback circuit. Home visits were conducted during which 3rd trimester pregnant women completed stress and depression surveys and provided blood for pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Saliva was collected 5 times the preceding day for diurnal cortisol levels. For statistical analyses, women were grouped 3 ways, …