This prospective study used longitudinal data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to examine the associations between acute adverse events at seven time points prior to age eight and inflammation at ages 10 and 15. Inflammatory markers at age 10 included interleukin-6 (IL-6; N=4655) and C-reactive protein (CRP; N=4647), and CRP was measured again at age 15 (N=3286). We further evaluated whether body mass index (BMI), depression, or cigarette smoking mediated associations between adverse events and inflammation. The results showed that adverse events in middle childhood (occurring between ages six to eight), as well as cumulative adversity from birth to eight years, were associated with higher levels of IL-6 and CRP at age 10. Adverse events reported in early childhood (1.5years) or middle childhood, and cumulative adversity from birth through eight years predicted increased levels of CRP at age 15, and these associations persisted after adjustment for CRP at age 10. Some, but not all, of these associations were mediated by BMI. The authors conclude that exposure to adverse events prior to age eight is associated with elevated inflammation at age 10 and in mid-adolescence. Psychoneuro- endocrinology. 2013 February. PMID: 22727478
