Abstract # 3142 Association between complicated grief and inflammation among bereaved adults

Abstract

The loss of a spouse is a highly stressful life event and bereavement is associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Given inflammation’s key role in CVD, it is an essential mechanism through which bereaved individuals may experience heightened risk for CVD. Complicated grief symptoms are prognostic of both mental and physical health issues, including cardiovascular problems, and engender negative emotions that may amplify inflammation. This study explored the mechanisms linking inflammation and CVD to complicated grief among 100 bereaved participants using the Inventory of Complicated Grief to assess ”caseness” of complicated grief (CG). Inflammation was measured using in vitro stimulated cytokine secretion by T cells. After controlling for medication use income, alcohol use, time since bereavement, BMI, age, and comorbid conditions, bereaved individuals with CG had higher levels of several pro-inflammatory cytokines. Specifically, complicated grief was associated with higher levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 ( M CG = 5.07, SD CG = 0.38, M NCG = 4.25, SD NCG = 0.24, p =.03), TNF-alpha ( M CG = 6.89, SD CG = 0.43, M NCG = 6.24, SD NCG = 0.22, p =.03), and IFN-gamma ( M CG = 8.50, SD CG = 0.49, M NCG = 7.76, SD NCG = 0.27, p =.03). CG did not significantly predict IL17-A, IL-2, or any other chemokines (CCL5, CXCL10, CCL2). This is the first study to demonstrate the association between CG and inflammation. .