Is chronic asthma associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length at midlife?
Abstract
RATIONALE: Asthma is prospectively associated with age-related chronic diseases and
mortality, suggesting the hypothesis that asthma may relate to a general, multisystem
phenotype of accelerated aging. OBJECTIVES: To test whether chronic asthma is associated
with a proposed biomarker of accelerated aging, leukocyte telomere length. METHODS:
Asthma was ascertained prospectively in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development
Study cohort (n = 1,037) at nine in-person assessments spanning ages 9-38 years. Leukocyte
telomere length was measured at ages 26 and 38 years. Asthma was classified as life-course-persistent,
childhood-onset not meeting criteria for persistence, and adolescent/adult-onset.
We tested associations between asthma and leukocyte telomere length using regression
models. We tested for confounding of asthma-leukocyte telomere length associations
using covariate adjustment. We tested serum C-reactive protein and white blood cell
counts as potential mediators of asthma-leukocyte telomere length associations. MEASUREMENTS
AND MAIN RESULTS: Study members with life-course-persistent asthma had shorter leukocyte
telomere length as compared with sex- and age-matched peers with no reported asthma.
In contrast, leukocyte telomere length in study members with childhood-onset and adolescent/adult-onset
asthma was not different from leukocyte telomere length in peers with no reported
asthma. Adjustment for life histories of obesity and smoking did not change results.
Study members with life-course-persistent asthma had elevated blood eosinophil counts.
Blood eosinophil count mediated 29% of the life-course-persistent asthma-leukocyte
telomere length association. CONCLUSIONS: Life-course-persistent asthma is related
to a proposed biomarker of accelerated aging, possibly via systemic eosinophilic inflammation.
Life histories of asthma can inform studies of aging.
Type
Journal articleSubject
agingasthma
developmental phenotype
longitudinal
telomere
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Aging
Asthma
Biomarkers
C-Reactive Protein
Child
Child, Preschool
Chronic Disease
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Leukocyte Count
Leukocytes
Longitudinal Studies
Male
New Zealand
Telomere Homeostasis
Young Adult
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9380Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1164/rccm.201402-0370OCPublication Info
Belsky, Daniel W; Shalev, Idan; Sears, Malcolm R; Hancox, Robert J; Lee Harrington,
Hona; Houts, Renate; ... Caspi, Avshalom (2014). Is chronic asthma associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length at midlife?. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 190(4). pp. 384-391. 10.1164/rccm.201402-0370OC. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9380.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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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Daniel W Belsky
Assistant Professor in Population Health Sciences
The goal of Dan’s work is to reduce social inequalities in aging outcomes in the US
and elsewhere. Dan's research seeks to understand how genes and environments combine
to shape health across the life course. His work uses tools from genome science and
longitudinal data from population-based cohort studies. The aim is to identify targets
for policy and clinical interventions to promote positive development in early life
and extend healthspan.Areas of interest: Aging, health
Avshalom Caspi
Edward M. Arnett Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Caspi’s research is concerned with three questions: (1) How do childhood experiences
shape aging and the course of health inequalities across the life span? (2) How do
genetic differences between people shape the way they respond to their environments?
(3) How do mental health problems unfold across and shape the life course?
Terrie E. Moffitt
Nannerl O. Keohane University Distinguished Professor
Terrie E. Moffitt, Ph.D., is the Nannerl O. Keohane University Professor of Psychology
at Duke University, and Professor of Social Development at King’s College London.
Her expertise is in the areas of longitudinal methods, developmental theory, mental
disorders and antisocial behaviors, neuropsychology, and genomics in behavioral science.
She is currently uncovering the consequences of a lifetime of mental and behavioral
disorder on processes of aging. She is the Associate Director of
Karen Sugden
Research Project Manager
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