Childhood socioeconomic status, telomere length, and susceptibility to upper respiratory infection

Lower childhood SES as measured by fewer years of parental home ownership was associated with shorter adult CD8+CD28− telomere length and with an increased probability of developing infection and clinical illness when exposed to a common cold virus in adulthood. These associations were independent of adult SES, age, sex, race, body mass, neuroticism, and childhood family characteristics. Associations with infections and colds were also independent of pre-challenge viral-specific antibody and season. Further analyses do not support mediating roles for smoking, alcohol consumption or physical activity but suggest that CD8+CD28− cell telomere length may act as a partial mediator of the associations between childhood SES and infection and childhood SES and colds.