The association of socioeconomic status with diabetes, and cardiovascular disease

Kim, Dong Jun

Abstract

Many epidemiologic studies have showed that low socioeconomic status, which usually accompanied by poor daily life style (smoking, heavy alcohol drinking, low physical activity), is a risk marker for poor health outcome. Socioeconomic status has been, also, considered to be closely related to diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as general health. Altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis according to combined depression and work stress, blood pressure reactivity to stress, impairment of endothelial function, increased inflammation, and increased platelet aggregation could be plausible biological mechanisms for this association. Nevertheless dramatic increase of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Korea, there has been no Korean study about the association of socioeconomic status with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Only few studies showed that low socioeconomic status was related to increased mortality and increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome. One study showed the increased prevalence of obesity in women with low socioeconomic status. Considering Korea has experienced dramatic industrial development during past decades, this association in Korea could be somewhere between developed and developing countries. Socioeconomic status is a well-known determinant for individual's daily life style, which affects one's health outcome. Investigations about this association will show us valuable information about social risk marker for diabetes and cardiovascular disease and it will be a great help for us to establish prevention and management strategies for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.