Self-rated health and chronic inflammation are related and independently associated with hospitalization and long-term mortality in the general population.

The subjective indicator of health self-rated health (SRH) and the chronic inflammation biomarker soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) are both robust predictors of healthcare use and mortality. However, the possible relationship between SRH and suPAR in the assessment of hospitalization and mortality risk is unknown. We used data from the Danish population-based Inter99 cohort to examine the association between SRH and suPAR and test their individual and combined associations with 2-year risk of acute hospitalization and 5- and 15-year mortality. SRH and serum suPAR levels were measured in 5490 participants (median age 45.1 years, 48.7% men). Poorer SRH was associated with elevated suPAR. In unadjusted analyses, SRH and suPAR were individually associated with higher risks of acute hospitalization and mortality, and both measures remained independently associated with higher risks of hospitalization and 15-year mortality after mutual adjustments. The association of suPAR with mortality was stronger in poorer SRH categories, and when combined, SRH and suPAR could identify different groups of individuals with increased risk of acute hospitalization and mortality. Both SRH and suPAR were independently associated with risk of acute hospitalization and mortality, and different combinations of the two measures could identify different groups of individuals at increased risk.

Digit ratio (2D:4D) is not related to cardiovascular diseases or their risk factors in menopausal women.

OBJECTIVES: Digit ratio (2D:4D) is widely used as a biomarker of prenatal hormonal environment linked to the growing number of adult health and disease-related characteristics. It has been suggested that 2D:4D is a good predictor of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk among men, but results in women are still inconclusive. Here we test the relationship between 2D:4D and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and their risk factors in Polish, rural women. METHODS: The participants were 410 women age 50 and older. Structured questionnaire was used to gather personal and medical data, including the history of CVD diagnosed by a medical doctor. Anthropometric measurements of body height, weight, and finger lengths were performed. Right-hand and left-hand 2D:4D, mean 2D:4D, Dl-r , and BMI were calculated afterward. For a subgroup of participants (n = 329) fasting blood sample was collected (in order to assess the lipid profile and glucose levels) and blood pressure was measured. Age, education level and BMI were included as potential covariates. RESULTS: No statistically significant association was observed between 2D:4D markers and the incidence of CVD (eg, heart attack, stroke) or CVD risk factors (dyslipidaemia, dysglycaemia or hypertension), when controlled for age, education and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study add to the growing number of studies investigating the sex-difference of the association between 2D:4D and cardiac health. We conclude that from a public health perspective 2D:4D may not be a valuable biomarker of elevated risk of CVDs in women.