Association of disability and inflammation: Potential risks to a vulnerable population

Disabilities are prevalent and linked to a wide variety of functional limitations, while inflammation, a key factor in chronic disease development and progression, is not a screening or treatment target and is therefore very rarely detected. Understanding the association between disabilities and inflammation is essential to address potential risks in this vulnerable population.

To determine whether individuals with disabilities are more likely to have elevated inflammation compared to those without.

In this cross-sectional study of a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults in the 2021-2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, survey-weighted logistic regression examined the associations between disabilities and high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) levels. Adjusted models controlled for age, sex, race/ethnicity, poverty, health insurance, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, and smoking.

Individuals with disabilities had higher odds of hs-CRP >3 mg/L (adjusted OR: 1.46, 95 % CI: 1.21-1.76) and >10 mg/L (adjusted OR: 1.61, 95 % CI: 1.17-2.22) compared to those without disabilities. Physical disabilities were significantly associated with hs-CRP >3 mg/L (adjusted OR: 1.61, 95 % CI: 1.26-2.07) and >10 mg/L (adjusted OR: 1.94, 95 % CI: 1.47-2.55). Mental disabilities were associated with elevated hs-CRP in unadjusted but not adjusted models.

Disabilities, particularly physical disabilities, are associated with elevated inflammation, which may reflect underlying biological processes, reduced mobility, or cumulative health burden. The increased burden of systemic inflammation among individuals with disabilities supports consideration of hs-CRP as a potential marker for identifying elevated health risk in this population.