Individual and Neighborhood-level Socioeconomic Status and Somatic Mutations Associated With Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the Women's Health Initiative

Background

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), the expansion of leukemogenic mutations in white blood cells, has been associated with increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and mortality.

Objective

We examined the relationship between individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) and CHIP and evaluated effect modification by interpersonal and intrapersonal resources.

Methods

The study population included 10,799 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative without hematologic malignancy or antineoplastic medication use. Individual- and neighborhood (Census tract)-level SES were assessed across several domains including education, income, and occupation, and a neighborhood-level SES summary z-score, which captures multiple dimensions of SES, was generated. Interpersonal and intrapersonal resources were self-reports. CHIP was ascertained based on a prespecified list of leukemogenic driver mutations. Weighted logistic regression models adjusted for covariates were used to estimate risk of CHIP as an odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

Results

The interval-scale neighborhood-level SES summary z-score was associated with a 3% increased risk of CHIP: OR (95% CI) = 1.03 (1.00–1.05), p = .038. Optimism significantly modified that estimate, such that among women with low/medium and high levels of optimism, the corresponding ORs (95% CIs) were 1.03 (1.02–1.04) and 0.95 (0.94–0.96), p_Interaction < .001.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that reduced risk of somatic mutation may represent a biological pathway by which optimism protects contextually advantaged but at-risk women against age-related chronic disease and highlight potential benefits of long-term, positive psychological interventions.