title: The history of sleep apnea is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length: the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sleep apnea poses an elevated risk for chronic age-related diseases. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a biomarker and factor associated with accelerated cellular aging processes, may serve as a novel mechanism underlying these disease risks. We investigated if a history of clinician-diagnosed sleep apnea or primary snoring was associated with LTL in later adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on sleep apnea, primary snoring and LTL, were available for 1948 participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Patients with sleep apnea (n=44) and primary snoring (n=29) severe enough to be recorded as an inpatient diagnosis for hospitalization were identified by their case records through the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register. The LTL was measured by using the realtime quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method at a mean age of 61.5 years (standard deviation [SD], 2.9).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A history of sleep apnea was associated with shorter LTL (P=.010). Adjustment for a number of covariates did not alter the association.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accelerated cellular aging reflected in shorter LTL in patients with a history of sleep apnea may partly explain their higher risk for age-related diseases. Future studies elucidating the impacts of long-term or successful treatment history of sleep apnea on the maintenance of LTL are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: katri.savolainen@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Savolainen
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Prevention Unit, Department of Chronic Disease Prevention, National Institution for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland; Unit of General Practice, Helsinki University of Central Hospital, Finland; Vaasa Central Hospital, Vaasa, Finland; Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Johan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Prevention Unit, Department of Chronic Disease Prevention, National Institution for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University of Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajantie
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Räikkönen
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications*; D012913:Snoring / Q000150:complications; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Aging-related diseases; Cellular aging; Leukocyte telomere length; Oxidative stress; Sleep apnea; Sleep disorder; Snoring