Leukocyte telomere length is inversely correlated with plasma Von Willebrand factor.
BACKGROUND
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is short, while the plasma level of Von Willebrand (VWF) is high in persons with atherosclerosis. Moreover, both short LTLs and high VWF levels are observed in individuals who display risks for atherosclerosis, including hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance, cigarette smoking and low socio-economic status. We examined the association between LTL and VWF plasma levels to test the hypothesis that high levels of VWF promote an increase in the turnover of blood cells, including leukocytes. Such a process would heighten the rate of age-dependent LTL attrition, ultimately resulting in shortened LTL.


METHODS
We studied 3 cohorts: the ADELAHYDE study (age 60-87years), the ERA study (age 41-88years) and the Longitudinal Study of Aging Danish Twins (LSADT) (age 73-94years).


RESULTS
Multiple regression analysis with LTL as the dependent variable, and age, sex and VWF as the independent variables showed that LTL was inversely correlated with VWF in the ADELAHYDE (beta=-0.125, p<0.001) and the ERA study (beta=-0.148, p=0.010). The LSADT displayed VWF x age interaction, which was incorporated into the model, showing that LTL was also inversely correlated with VWF (beta=-0.057, p=0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
The inverse relationship between LTL and VWF, observed in 3 different populations, suggests that LTL might be linked to the coagulative status of the individual. Further research will be required to confirm our observations and their clinical ramifications.
Hjelmborg
Jacob V B
JV
The Danish Aging Research Center and Research unit of Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark.
Nzietchueng
Rosine
R
Kimura
Masayuki
M
Gardner
Jeffrey P
JP
Bladbjerg
Else M
EM
Christensen
Kaare
K
Aviv
Abraham
A
Benetos
Athanase
A
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D016615:Telomere / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis*
D014841:von Willebrand Factor