It is widely believed that people with low income are more prone to diseases than people with more money. However, some forms of cancer are diagnosed more often in people with a higher socio-economic status. Recently, a new study conducted at the University of Helsinki in Finland examined the association between socio-economic status and a range of diseases.
The research revealed that wealthy people are genetically at greater risk of cancer than the poor. The rich are at a heightened genetic risk for breast, prostate and other types of cancer, according to the study.
Meanwhile, those less affluent are genetically more susceptible to diabetes and arthritis, along with depression, alcoholism and lung cancer, the New York Times reported. Notably, this study is the first to search for the link in a whopping 19 diseases common to high-earning countries.
''Understanding that the impact of polygenic scores on disease risk is context-dependent may lead to further stratified screening protocols,” Dr. Hagenbeek told South West News Service.
''For example, in the future, screening protocols for breast cancer may be adapted so that females with a high genetic risk and who are highly educated receive earlier or more frequent screening than females with lower genetic risk or less education,'' she said.
For the study, the research team collected health data, their socio-ecomonic status and genomic for 280,000 Finland citizens, aged 35 to 80.
''Most clinical risk prediction models include basic demographic information such as biological sex and age, recognizing that disease incidence differs between males and females, and is age-dependent, Dr. Hagenbeek said.
''Acknowledging that such context also matters when incorporating genetic information into healthcare is an important first step. But now, we can show that the genetic prediction of disease risk also depends on an individual's socio-economic background,'' she said.
''So while our genetic information does not change throughout our lifetime, the impact of genetics on disease risk changes as we age or change our circumstances,'' the doctor added.
Researchers are now exploring to conduct a study to understand the links between specific professions and disease risk.
