Pavanello Sofia, Campisi Manuela, Grassi Alberto, Mastrangelo Giuseppe, Durante Elisabetta, Veronesi Arianna, Gallucci Maurizio
Section of Occupational Medicine, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences & Public Health, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy.
Unit of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy.
J Clin Med. 2021 Aug 20;10(16):3700. doi: 10.3390/jcm10163700.
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) represents a key integrating component of the cumulative effects of environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors. A question, however, remains on whether LTL can be considered predictive for a longer and healthier life. Within the elderly prospective TRELONG cohort ( = 612), we aimed to investigate LTL as a predictor of longevity and identify the main determinants of LTL among many different factors (physiological and lifestyle characteristics, physical performance and frailty measures, chronic diseases, biochemical measurements and apolipoprotein E genotyping). We found an ever-increasing relationship between LTL quartiles and survival. Hazard ratio analysis showed that for each unit increase in LTL and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scores, the mortality risk was reduced by 22.41% and 8.78%, respectively. Conversely, male gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and age threatened survival, with mortality risk growing by 74.99%, 16.57% and 8.5%, respectively. Determinants of LTL elongation were SPPB scores (OR = 1.1542; = 0.0066) and years of education (OR = 1.0958; = 0.0065), while male gender (OR = 0.4388; = 0.0143) and increased Disease Count Index (OR = 0.6912; = 0.0066) were determinants of LTL attrition. Longer LTL predicts a significant survival advantage in elderly people. By identifying determinants of LTL elongation, we provided additional knowledge that could offer a potential translation into prevention strategies.
白细胞端粒长度（LTL）是环境、生活方式和遗传因素累积效应的关键综合组成部分。然而，LTL是否可被视为长寿和健康生活的预测指标仍是一个问题。在老年前瞻性TRELONG队列（n = 612）中，我们旨在研究LTL作为长寿的预测指标，并在许多不同因素（生理和生活方式特征、身体性能和衰弱指标、慢性病、生化测量和载脂蛋白E基因分型）中确定LTL的主要决定因素。我们发现LTL四分位数与生存率之间的关系不断增加。风险比分析表明，LTL和简短身体性能量表（SPPB）评分每增加一个单位，死亡风险分别降低22.41%和8.78%。相反，男性、Charlson合并症指数和年龄对生存构成威胁，死亡风险分别增加74.99%、16.57%和8.5%。LTL延长的决定因素是SPPB评分（OR = 1.1542；P = 0.0066）和受教育年限（OR = 1.0958；P = 0.0065），而男性（OR = 0.4388；P = 0.0143）和疾病计数指数增加（OR = 0.6912；P = 0.0066）是LTL缩短的决定因素。更长的LTL预示着老年人有显著的生存优势。通过确定LTL延长的决定因素，我们提供了额外的知识，这些知识可能转化为预防策略。
