Affiliations: Department of Psychology, Queens College and the
Graduate Center, City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA | Department of Psychiatry, Bronx Veterans Affairs
Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA | Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of
Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Note: [] Address correspondence to: Janine D Flory, Ph.D., Department of
Psychology NSB E-318, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing NY 11367, USA. Tel.: +1 718
997 3465; Fax: +1 718 997 3257; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Although the link between chronic stress and the development of
cardiovascular and metabolic diseases of adulthood has been known for some
time, there is growing recognition that early environmental influences may
result in developmental programming via epigenetic mechanisms, thereby
affecting the developmental trajectory of disease progression. Previous studies
support the idea that offspring of Holocaust survivors may have been subjected
to early developmental programming. We evaluated the relationship between
parental exposure to the Holocaust and self-reported health ratings and
disorders made by their adult offspring (i.e., second generation Holocaust
survivors). A total of 137 subjects were evaluated. Regression analyses
demonstrated that maternal but not paternal exposure to the Holocaust was
related to poorer subjective impressions of emotional and physical health. This
relationship was diminished when the offspring's own level of trait anxiety was
considered. Offspring with maternal, but not paternal, Holocaust exposure also
reported greater use of psychotropic and other medications, including
medications for the treatment of hypertension and lipid disorders. The
mechanism linking these health outcomes and maternal exposure deserves further
investigation, including the possibility that fetal or early developmental
programming is involved.
DOI: 10.3233/DMA-2011-0748
Journal: Disease Markers, vol. 30, no. 2-3, pp. 133-139, 2011
