Leukocyte telomere length is not associated with mortality in older men

• Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is related to the aging of somatic cells. We hypothesized that LTL is inversely associated with mortality in elderly men. LTL was measured in 2744 elderly men (mean age 75.5, range 69-81 years) included in the prospective population-based MrOS-Sweden study. Mortality data were obtained from national health registers with no loss of follow-up. During the follow-up (mean 6.0 years), 556 (20%) of the participants died. Using Cox proportional hazards regression, tertile of LTL did not associate with all-cause mortality [tertile 1 (shortest) or 2 (middle) vs. tertile 3 (longest); hazard ratio (HR) = 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85-1.28 and HR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.79-1.19, respectively]. Furthermore, LTL did not associate with cancer (197 events) or cardiovascular disease (CVD, 206 events) mortality (tertile 1 vs. tertile 3; HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.67-1.34 and HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.68-1.30, respectively). The lack of association between LTL and mortality remained also after adjustment for multiple covariates. Our results demonstrate that LTL is not associated with all-cause mortality or mortality due to cancer or CVD in elderly men. Further studies are needed to determine whether LTL can predict the risk of mortality in elderly women.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Annan medicin och hälsovetenskap -- Gerontologi, medicinsk/hälsovetenskaplig inriktning (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Other Medical and Health Sciences -- Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Leukocyte telomere length

Elderly men

All-cause mortality

Cancer mortality

Cardiovascular

CORONARY-HEART-DISEASE

CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

LONGITUDINAL FINDINGS

CANCER-MORTALITY

INCIDENT CANCER

SOUTHERN BLOTS

ELDERLY-MEN

SURVIVAL

AGE

DEMENTIA

Geriatrics & Gerontology

Leukocyte telomere length

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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