title: Telomere length and pulse pressure in newly diagnosed, antipsychotic-naive patients with nonaffective psychosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies suggest that in addition to factors such as treatment side effects, suicide, and poor health habits, people with schizophrenia may have an increased risk of diabetes prior to antipsychotic treatment. Diabetes is associated with an increased pulse pressure (PP) and a shortened telomere. We tested the hypothesis that prior to antipsychotic treatment, schizophrenia and related disorders are associated with a shortened telomere, as well as an increased PP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Telomere content (which is highly correlated with telomere length) and PP were measured in newly diagnosed, antipsychotic-naive patients with schizophrenia and related disorders on first clinical contact and in matched control subjects. Both groups were also administered an oral glucose tolerance test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with control subjects, the patients with psychosis had decreased telomere content and an increased PP. As previously reported, they also had increased glucose concentrations at 2 hours. These differences could not be attributed to differences in age, ethnicity, smoking, gender, body mass index, neighborhood of residence, socioeconomic status, aerobic conditioning, or an increased cortisol concentration in the psychotic subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that prior to antipsychotic use, nonaffective psychosis is associated with reduced telomere content and increased PP, indices that have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, CB2 0QQ Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Egea
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bernardo
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Heaphy
authors.forename: Jeffrey K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Parellada
authors.forename: Enric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esmatjes
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Conget
authors.forename: Linh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Varghese
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stöppler
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kirkpatrick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D003971:Diastole / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D006854:Hydrocortisone