Key result
Peripheral blood leucocyte telomere length is not independently linked to IMT or plaque presence.
Why the study?
Peripheral blood leucocyte telomere length has been proposed as an independent predictor of CVD, but the basis for this association remains unclear.
Is peripheral blood leucocyte telomere length an independent determinant of preclinical atherosclerosis (IMT or plaque presence) in adults free from established cardiovascular disease?
Cohort (n=2,509)
Is peripheral blood leucocyte telomere length an independent determinant of preclinical atherosclerosis (IMT or plaque presence) in adults free from established cardiovascular disease?
p-value: p=>0.05
Systemic telomere length is not a substantial underlying determinant of preclinical atherosclerosis, suggesting the association between CVD and telomere length is not due to an inherited predisposition to atherosclerosis.
Captured external expert commentary on this paper, strongest first. Original sources are linked where available.
“These results are rather like taking a snapshot at a single point in a person's lifetime, and we still need to determine if atherosclerosis progresses faster in people who start with shorter leukocyte telomeres, have a higher proportion of very short telomeres, or in whom telomeres shorten at a faster rate during the aging process.”
“Atherosclerosis is an age related disease characterised by systemic oxidative stress and low grade chronic inflammation. Telomeres consist of DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes, which shorten with every cell division. They can reach a critically short length, precipitating a form of cellular decline and ageing called cell senescence.”
TL not linked to preclinical atherosclerosis; leaves open whether shorter TL independently predicts clinical CVD events.
AIMS: Peripheral blood leucocyte (PBL) telomere length (TL) is a systemic ageing biomarker and has been proposed to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed at providing an explanation for this association by the evaluation of the biomarker value of PBL-TL in preclinical atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Peripheral blood leucocyte telomere length was assessed by telomere restriction fragment analysis in 2509 volunteers free from established CVD, aged approximately 35-55 years old, from the Asklepios Study cohort. Intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque presence were determined by ultrasonography in both left and right carotid and femoral arteries. Peripheral blood leucocyte telomere length was not a significant independent determinant of IMT (P > 0.3) or plaque presence (P > 0.05), in either artery or either sex. In women but not in men, PBL-TL was a weak determinant of combined (carotid or femoral) plaque presence, adjusted for other risk factors (women: P = 0.03, men: P > 0.4). However, even in women presenting plaques, PBL-TL was still longer than in men. CONCLUSION: Since systemic TL is not a substantial underlying determinant of preclinical atherosclerosis, the association between CVD and TL cannot be explained by the fact that subjects with shorter inherited TL are predisposed to atherosclerosis.
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Meyer et al. (2009) conducted a cohort in Preclinical atherosclerosis (n=2,509). Peripheral blood leucocyte telomere length was evaluated on Intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque presence (p=>0.05). Peripheral blood leucocyte telomere length was not a significant independent determinant of intima-media thickness (P > 0.3) or plaque presence (P > 0.05) in either artery or sex.
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