Inflammation During Adolescence and Risk for Early Death

Many diseases are linked to underlying inflammation and these diseases may increase mortality risk. The implications of exposure to inflammation during adolescence are not understood.

Using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) as a marker for inflammation, researchers evaluated the association between inflammation and mortality in a cohort of roughly 106,000 healthy Swedish men who were 16 to 20 years old at the time of military conscription. During a mean observation period of 35 years (up to a maximum age of 57), 4835 men died (including 1105 from cancer; 874 from cardiovascular disease [CVD]; and 1502 from suicide, traffic accidents, or falls). ESR was significantly associated with overall mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR)…