title: Telomere length variation in juvenile acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) provides a potential marker of biological age, closely related to the endothelial dysfunction and consequently to the atherosclerotic process. To investigate the relationship between the LTL and the risk of premature acute myocardial infarction and to evaluate the predictive value of LTL on the onset of major cardiovascular events, 199 patients from 18 to 48 years old with first diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction were enrolled and were matched with 190 controls for sex and age (± 1 year). Clinical data and coronary artery disease were evaluated at enrollment and at follow up. LTL was measured at enrollment using a quantitative PCR-based method. No significant differences were observed in LTL between cases and controls (p = 0.20) and with the presence of coronary artery disease in patients (p = 0.47). Hypercholesterolemic cases presented LTL significantly longer than cases without hypercholesterolemia (t/s: 0.82 ± 0.16 p = 0.79 and t/s norm: 0.79 ± 0.19 p = 0.01), as confirmed in multivariate regression analysis (p = 0.005, β = 0.09). Furthermore, multivariate regression analysis showed LTL significantly shorter in hypertensive cases than in normotensive cases (p = 0.04, β = -0.07). One hundred seventy-one cases (86%) ended the average follow up of 9 ± 5 years, 92 (54%) presented a major cardiovascular event. At multivariate regression analysis the LTL detected at enrollment did not represent a predictive factor of major cardiovascular events nor it significantly impacted with cumulative events. Based on present cohort of young Italian patients, the LTL did not represent a marker of acute myocardial infarction nor had a predictive role at medium term follow up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fornengo
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Gaetano
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ricceri
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guarrera
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Critelli
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anselmino
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piazza
authors.forename: Fiorenzo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gaita
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bergerone
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Matullo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers