Leukocyte telomere length is associated with disability in older u.s. Population.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine whether mean leukocyte telomere length (LTL) serves as a
biomarker of disability assessed according to activities of daily living (ADLs) and
what factors may modify this relationship. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study.
SETTING: A subset of the National Long Term Care Survey (NTLCS), a Medicare-based
U.S. population longitudinal study focused on trends of overall health and functional
status in older adults. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred and twenty-four individuals from
the 1999 wave of the NTLCS cohort. MEASUREMENTS: Relative LTL determined according
to quantitative polymerase chain reaction. LTL has previously been shown to correlate
with common age-related disorders and mortality, as well as with socioeconomic status.
RESULTS: A sex difference in LTL was observed but not age-dependent shortening or
association with socioeconomic status. LTL was associated with disability and functional
status assessed according to ADLs. The association between ADLs and LTL was stronger
in subjects without diabetes mellitus, whereas associations were not seen when only
subjects with diabetes mellitus were analyzed. Associations between LTL and cardiovascular
disease (CVD) and cancer were also present in the group without diabetes mellitus
but not in the group with diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: These findings support the
concept that LTL is a biomarker of overall well-being that is predictive of disability
of older individuals in the U.S. population. Diabetes mellitus plays an important
role as a modifier of the association between LTL and disability, CVD, and cancer.
These associations have clinical implications because of the potential predictive
value of LTL and deserve further investigation.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Activities of Daily LivingAge Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biomarkers
Cross-Sectional Studies
Disability Evaluation
Female
Geriatric Assessment
Humans
Leukocytes
Male
Predictive Value of Tests
Retrospective Studies
Sex Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Telomere
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/14880Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02948.xPublication Info
Risques, Rosa Ana; Arbeev, Konstantin G; Yashin, Anatoli I; Ukraintseva, Svetlana
V; Martin, George M; Rabinovitch, Peter S; & Oshima, Junko (2010). Leukocyte telomere length is associated with disability in older u.s. Population.
J Am Geriatr Soc, 58(7). pp. 1289-1298. 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02948.x. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/14880.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Konstantin Arbeev
Associate Research Professor in the Social Science Research Institute
Konstantin G. Arbeev received the M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow State
University (branch in Ulyanovsk, Russia) in 1995 and the Ph.D. degree in Mathematics
and Physics (specialization in Theoretical Foundations of Mathematical Modeling, Numerical
Methods and Programming) from Ulyanovsk State University (Russia) in 1999. He was
a post-doctoral fellow in Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock
(Germany) before moving to Duke University in 2004 to work as a Resea
Svetlana Ukraintseva
Associate Research Professor in the Social Science Research Institute
Dr. Ukraintseva studies causes of human aging and related decline in resilience, to
identify genetic and other factors responsible for the increase in mortality risk
with age eventually limiting longevity. She explores complex relationships, including
trade-offs, between physiological aging-changes and risks of major diseases (with
emphasis on Alzheimer’s and cancer), as well as survival, to find new genetic and
other targets for anti-aging interventions and disease prevention. S
Anatoli I. Yashin
Research Professor in the Social Science Research Institute
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