Brief Report: Shortened Telomere Length in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Objective. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a higher rate of premature death compared to the general population, suggesting a phenotype of premature senescence in SLE. Telomere length can be used to assess overall biologic aging. This study was undertaken to address the hypothesis that patients with SLE have reduced telomere length.Methods. Telomere length was measured crosssectionally in whole blood from SLE patients and agematched healthy female controls, using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. SLE-related and cardiovascular risk factors were assessed.Results. We compared telomere length in 63 SLE patients and 63 matched controls with a median age of 50.8 years (interquartile range [IQR] 37-59 years) and 49.9 years (IQR 32-60 years), respectively. The median relative telomere length in SLE patients was 0.97 (IQR 0.47-1.57), compared to 1.53 (IQR 0.82-2.29) in controls (P ‫؍‬ 0.0008). We then extended our cohort to measure telomere length in 164 SLE patients. Shorter telomere length was associated with Ro antibodies (␤ ؎ SE ؊0.36 ؎ 0.16; P ‫؍‬ 0.023), and longer telomere length was associated with steroid therapy (0.29 ؎ 0.14; P ‫؍‬ 0.046). We also noted an association of longer telomere length with increasing body mass index (␤ ؎ SE 0.07 ؎ 0.01; P < 0.0001) and tobacco smoking (0.64 ؎ 0.26; P ‫؍‬ 0.016), as well as with the presence of carotid plaque (0.203 ؎ 0.177; P ‫؍‬ 0.032).Conclusion. Telomere length is shortened in SLE patients compared to controls and does not appear to be a reflection of disease activity or immune cell turnover. Subsets of patients such as those positive for Ro antibodies may be particularly susceptible to premature biologic aging. The predictive value of telomere length as a biomarker of future risk of damage/mortality in SLE requires longitudinal evaluation.Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with premature coronary heart disease and endothelial dysfunction (1). We have also noted a higher prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE as assessed using high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography of the carotid wall (2). To date, the precise mechanisms underlying the early onset of atherosclerosis in SLE are unclear. However, the observation that atherosclerosis, a condition usually associated with aging, occurs at an earlier age in SLE patients leads to the hypothesis that premature biologic aging may occur in this population.Telomeres are unique structures that form the physical ends of chromosomes and are believed to play a protective role. Telomeres consist of tandem repeats of 6 basepairs ending with a 150-200-nucleotide G-rich 3Ј single-stranded overhang and associated proteins. Importantly, DNA polymerases are unable to replicate the lagging single strand of chromosomal ends, which results in telomere shortening with cell division; therefore, the The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS.

Effect of heartfulness meditation on burnout, emotional wellness, and telomere length in health care professionals

“…Studies have shown a significant decrease of telomere length in patients with cancer [38,39]. Inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus have been shown to effect telomere length irrespective of the disease activity [40,41]. Therefore these conditions were excluded from telomere analysis.…”

Patients with gout have short telomeres compared with healthy participants: association of telomere length with flare frequency and cardiovascular disease in gout

“…In various tissues and cell-subtypes, accelerated cell turnover is inversely associated with replicative senescence. In disorders involving accelerated oxidative injury and chronic immune system activation as the main manifestation, such as systemic lupus erythematosus,33 rheumatoid arthritis32 and systemic sclerosis,34 enhanced cell turnover and telomere erosion has been extensively described. Furthermore, we observed no significant TL difference in treated patients with gout compared with patients without treatment.…”

Familial pulmonary fibrosis

“…Telomere length diminishes physiologically by approximately 20% between 20 and 80 years of age [42]. It also diminishes in case of exposure to tobacco, pesticides and in numerous chronic illnesses [43][44][45]. There is no standard technique to measure telomere length.…”

“…La longueur des télomères diminue physiologiquement avec l'âge, d'environ 20 % entre 20 et 80 ans [42]. La longueur des télomères diminue aussi en cas d'exposition au tabac ou aux pesticides et dans de nombreuses maladies chroniques [43][44][45]. Il n'y a cependant pas de technique standardisée de mesure de la longueur des télomères.…”