WISCONSIN LONGITUDINAL STUDY

LIFE HISTORIES AND HEALTH IN MIDLIFE STUDY (1996-1998)

Allostatic load for an individual is operationalized as the number of indicators from the list below for which an individual's assessed value satisfies the stated inequality.

Systolic Blood Pressure > 148

Diastolic Blood Pressure > 83

Waist/Hip Ratio > 0.94

Total Cholesterol > 5.9

Glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c > 7.1

Urinary Cortisol > 25.7

Norepinephrine > 48

Epinephrine > 5

HDL Cholesterol < 37

DHEA-S < 35

Cut points established using data from the MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. See the article by Seeman et al, (1997) for additional information. The above cut points have been updated as a result of personal communication with Dr. Seeman.

Assessed values from the present study used in construction allostatic load scores are determined as follows:

Systolic Blood Pressure : the average of the two readings closest to one another as reported in the physical exam data (bio1.dat & bio1doc.txt).

Diastolic Blood Pressure: the average of the two readings closest to one another as reported in the physical exam data (bio1.dat & bio1doc.txt)

Waist-hip ratio: waist/ maximal hip (maximum buttocks extension), as reported in the physical exam data (bio1.dat & bio1doc.txt)

Ratio Total Cholesterol/HDL: as reported in the lab result data (bio2.dat & bio2doc.txt)

Glycosilated Hemoglobin: as reported in the lab result data (bio2.dat & bio2doc.txt)

Urinary Cortisol: computed as follows using indicated information as reported in the lab result data (bio2.dat & bio2doc.txt)

(micrograms cortisol/dl) / (grams creatine/dl)=micrograms cortisol/grams creatinine

or

(micrograms cortisol/12 hous) /[(grams creatinine/dl) * (urine volume in dl)]

=micrograms cortisol/grams creatinine

or ((micrograms cortisol/day)/2)/[(grams creatinine/dl)*(urine volume in dl)]

=micrograms cortisol/grams creatinine

Urinary Norephinephrine: computed as follows using indicated information as reported in the lab result data (bio2.dat & bio2doc.txt)

((micrograms norephrine/24 hours)/2)/[(grams creatinine/dl)*(urine volume in dl)]

=micrograms norepinephrine/grams creatinine

Urinary Ephinephrine: computed as follows using indicated information as reported in the lab result data (bio2.dat & bio2doc.txt)

((micrograms Epinephrine/24 hours)/2)/[(grams creatinine/dl)*(urine volume in dl)]

=micrograms epinephrine/grams creatinine

HDL Cholesterol: as reported in the lab result data (bio2.dat & bio2doc.txt)

DHEA-S : as reported in the lab result data (bio2.dat & bio2doc.txt)

REFERENCES

Seeman, T.E., Singer, B. H., Rowe, J. W., Horwitz, R.I., and McEwen, B.S.. (1997) Price of adaptation - Allostatic load and it's health consequences. Archives of Internal Medicine, 157:2259-2268.