title: Shortened telomeres in circulating leukocytes of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Telomere length is considered a marker for biological aging. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be associated with premature aging.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that patients with COPD experience accelerated telomere shortening and that inflammation is linked to this process.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured telomere length, using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based method, and plasma levels of various cytokines in 136 patients with COPD, 113 age- and sex-matched smokers, and 42 nonsmokers with normal lung function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median (range) telomere length ratio was significantly lower in patients with COPD (0.57 [0.23-1.18]) than in control smokers (0.79 [0.34-1.58]) or nonsmokers (0.85 [0.38-1.55]) (P < 0.001). The difference remained highly significant when using logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, and tobacco exposure. Both females and males with COPD had shorter telomere length than same-sex control subjects. Telomere length was related to age in patients and control subjects but was shorter in patients than in control subjects in all age groups. No relationship was found between telomere length and tobacco exposure in patients or control subjects, with no difference between control smokers and nonsmokers. In patients with COPD, telomere length was related to PaO2 (P < 0.001) and PaCO2 (P < 0.001) but not to lung function parameters or the BODE Index. Patients with COPD also had elevated plasma levels of various cytokines, interleukin-6 correlating negatively with telomere length (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given that in vivo telomere length reflects cellular turnover and exposure to oxidative and inflammatory damage, our data support accelerated aging in COPD.
authors.affiliation: Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Service de Physiologie Explorations Fonctionnelles, Université Paris 12, 94010 Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Savale
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaouat
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bastuji-Garin
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marcos
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maitre
authors.forename: Mourad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarni
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Housset
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weitzenblum
authors.forename: Mireille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matrat
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Le Corvoisier
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rideau
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boczkowski
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dubois-Randé
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chouaid
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adnot
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D012907:Smoking; D016615:Telomere