Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Curr Opin Cardiol. 2019 May;34(3):270-274. doi: 10.1097/HCO.0000000000000613.
Telomere length has been hypothesized as a putative biomarker for cardiovascular disease. However, the findings are mixed and shared confounding factors may explain these associations. The current review aims to summarize the recent literature on the role of telomere length in cardiovascular disease and give directions for future potential as a predictive biomarker.
In this review, we outline the biology of telomeres as a biomarker of aging through its shortening capacity across the life course. Recent epidemiological evidence for its associations with cardiovascular risk factors and disease is discussed. Then we highlight the possible causal role of telomeres in coronary heart disease and summarize the potential biological mechanisms and pathways known.
The current research and results presented on telomere length may implicate that short telomeres are causal risk factors for cardiovascular disease, partially through insulin-mediated pathways. Nevertheless, further studies with refined quantification methods and larger populations are needed to clarify the added role of telomere length in predicting future risks of cardiovascular disease on top of existing risk biomarkers, and whether it may be amenable for intervention.
端粒长度被假设为心血管疾病的潜在生物标志物。然而，研究结果存在差异，共同的混杂因素可能解释了这些关联。本综述旨在总结端粒长度在心血管疾病中的作用的最新文献，并为未来作为预测生物标志物的潜力指明方向。
在这篇综述中，我们概述了端粒作为衰老生物标志物的生物学特性，即其在整个生命过程中的缩短能力。讨论了最近关于端粒与心血管危险因素和疾病的关联的流行病学证据。然后，我们强调了端粒在冠心病中的可能因果作用，并总结了已知的潜在生物学机制和途径。
目前关于端粒长度的研究和结果表明，短端粒是心血管疾病的因果风险因素，部分是通过胰岛素介导的途径。然而，需要进一步的研究，使用更精细的定量方法和更大的人群，以阐明端粒长度在预测现有风险生物标志物之外的未来心血管疾病风险方面的额外作用，以及它是否可以进行干预。
