title: Leukocyte telomere length and coronary artery calcification in Palestinians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with higher incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and increased mortality. We examined the association of LTL with coronary artery calcification (CAC), which reflects the cumulative burden of coronary atherosclerosis, in an urban Arab sample of Palestinians, a population at high risk of CHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a cross-sectional design, a random sample of East Jerusalem residents, comprising 250 men aged 45-77 and women aged 55-76 and free of CHD or past stroke, was drawn from the Israel national population register. LTL was measured by Southern blots. CAC was determined by 16-slice multidetector helical CT scanning using Agatston scoring. We applied multivariable logistic modeling to examine the association between sex-specific tertiles of LTL and CAC (comparing scores >100 vs. <100, and the upper third vs. the lower 2 thirds), controlling for age, sex, education and coronary risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CAC, evident in 65% of men and 52% of women, was strongly associated with age (sex-adjusted Spearman's rho 0.495). The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios for CAC >100 (found in 30% of men and 29% of women) were 2.92 (95% CI 1.28-6.68) and 2.29 (0.99-5.30) for the lower and mid-tertiles of LTL vs. the upper tertile, respectively (Ptrend = 0.008). Findings were similar for CAC scores in the upper tertile (Ptrend = 0.006), and persisted after the exclusion of patients with diabetes or receiving statins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Shorter LTL was associated with a greater prevalence of asymptomatic coronary atherosclerosis in an urban Arab population-based sample. Mechanisms underlying this association should be sought.
authors.affiliation: Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. jeremy1@vms.huji.ac.il
authors.forename: Jeremy D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kark
authors.forename: Hisham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nassar
authors.forename: Dorith
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shaham
authors.forename: Ronit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sinnreich
authors.forename: Nehama
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goldberger
authors.forename: Vartohi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Aboudi
authors.forename: Naama R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Bogot
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aviv
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Arabs; Atherosclerosis; Coronary artery calcification; Leukocyte telomere length; Palestinians