Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Pediatr Pulmonol. 2019 Dec;54(12):2044-2052. doi: 10.1002/ppul.24489. Epub 2019 Aug 27.
Telomere length is associated with poorer lung health in older adults, possibly from cumulative risk factor exposure, but data are lacking in pediatric and population-based cohorts. We examined associations of telomere length with lung function in children and mid-life adults.
Data were drawn from a population-based cross-sectional study of 11 to 12 year-olds and mid-life adults. Lung function was assessed by spirometric FEV , FVC, FEV /FVC ratio, and MMEF . Telomere length was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction from blood and expressed as the amount of telomeric genomic DNA to the beta-globin gene (T/S ratio). Associations of telomere length with spirometric parameters were tested by linear and logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders of sex, age, body mass index, socioeconomic position, physical activity, inflammation, asthma, pubertal status, and smoking.
Mean T/S ratio was 1.09 (n = 1206; SD 0.55) in children and 0.81 (n = 1343; SD 0.38) in adults. In adults, for every additional unit in T/S ratio, FEV /FVC and MMEF z-scores were higher (β 0.21 [95% confidence interval, CI; 0.06-0.36] and 0.23 [95% CI; 0.08-0.38], respectively), and the likelihood of being in the lowest quartile for FEV /FVC and MMEF z-scores was lower (odds ratios 0.59 [95% CI, 0.39-0.89] and 0.64 [95% CI, 0.41-0.99], respectively). No evidence of association was seen for adult FEV or FVC, or any childhood spirometric index after adjustments.
Shorter telomere length showed moderate associations with poorer airflow parameters, but not vital capacity (lung volume) in mid-life adults. However, there was no convincing evidence of associations in children.
端粒长度与老年人较差的肺部健康有关，这可能是由于累积的风险因素暴露，但在儿科和人群队列中缺乏数据。我们研究了端粒长度与儿童和中年成年人肺功能的关系。
数据来自一项针对 11 至 12 岁儿童和中年成年人的基于人群的横断面研究。肺功能通过肺活量计测定的 FEV 、FVC、FEV / FVC 比值和 MMEF 来评估。端粒长度通过定量聚合酶链反应从血液中测量，并表示为端粒基因组 DNA 与β-球蛋白基因的量（T/S 比值）。通过线性和逻辑回归模型测试端粒长度与肺活量参数的关联，调整性别、年龄、体重指数、社会经济地位、体力活动、炎症、哮喘、青春期状态和吸烟等潜在混杂因素。
儿童的平均 T/S 比值为 1.09（n=1206；标准差 0.55），成人的平均 T/S 比值为 0.81（n=1343；标准差 0.38）。在成年人中，T/S 比值每增加一个单位，FEV / FVC 和 MMEF z 分数越高（β 0.21[95%置信区间，CI；0.06-0.36]和 0.23[95% CI；0.08-0.38]），FEV / FVC 和 MMEF z 分数处于最低四分位数的可能性越低（比值比 0.59[95% CI，0.39-0.89]和 0.64[95% CI，0.41-0.99]）。调整后，成人 FEV 或 FVC 或任何儿童肺活量指数均未见关联。
端粒长度较短与中年成年人气流参数较差相关，但与肺活量（肺容积）无关。然而，在儿童中没有令人信服的证据表明存在关联。
