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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Annette L. Fitzpatrick, PhD, MA, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Box 354922, Seattle, WA 98195-4922, 206-897-1903, fitzpal@u.washington.edu, Richard A. Kronmal, PhD, Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Building 29, Suite 310, 6200 74th Street, Seattle, WA 98115, Nancy S. Jenny, PhD, Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Colchester Research Facility, #T263A, 208 South Park Drive, Suite 2, Colchester, VT 05446, and Abraham Aviv, MD, Hypertension Research Center, Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Destistry of New Jersey, Medical Science Building, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07107.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between mortality and length of telomeres, specialized structures which cap chromosomal ends, in persons age 65 years and older. Method: Telomeres were measured in white blood cells of 419 participants of the Cardiovascular Health Study using the terminal restriction fragment (TRF) method. Laboratory staff were blinded to the health and mortality status of participants. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the association between TRF length and time to death from baseline (1992/93) through June 2002. Results: Participants were a mean age of 74.2 (SD 5.2) years and 59% were female. A total of 156 (37.2%) deaths occurred during study follow-up, an average of 8.1 years. TRF length ranged from 5.1 to 8.6 kb with a mean of 6.3 (SD 0.6). Individuals who died were older at baseline (p<.001) and more likely to be male (p=.004) than survivors. TRF length of persons who died was significantly shorter in persons who died compared to survivors (p=.001). In an unadjusted model, shorter telomeres increased the risk of mortality (Hazard Ratio: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2-2.1). The association was attenuated when adjustments for age, gender and race were made (HR: 1.2, 95% CI: 0.9-1.6). When specific cause of death was examined, shorter telomeres were associated with an increased risk of death due to infectious disease (HR: 2.1, 95% CI: 0.9- 4.6) and cancer (HR: 1.6, 95% CI: 0.9-2.7). Conclusions: Telomere length may serve as a biomarker of aging and predict mortality in older adults.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

• Define the role of telomeres in the aging process.
• Compare the advantages/disadvantages of different ways in which telomere length is measured, including the terminal restriction fragment method.
• Understand the literature currently implicating telomere length as a measure of biological aging compared to chronological aging.
• Evaluate telomere length as a predictor of mortality in older adults.
• Identify differences in associations between telomere length and specific causes of death.

Keywords: Aging, Risk Factors

Related Web page: www.chs-nhlbi.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation