Leukocyte Telomere Length in Young Adults Born Preterm: Support for Accelerated Biological Ageing

Abstract

BackgroundSubjects born preterm have an increased risk for age-associated diseases, such as cardiovascular disease in later life, but the underlying causes are largely unknown. Shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biological age, is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.ObjectivesTo compare LTL between subjects born preterm and at term and to assess if LTL is associated with other putative cardiovascular risk factors at young adult age.MethodsWe measured mean LTL in 470 young adults. LTL was measured using a quantitative PCR assay and expressed as T/S ratio. We analyzed the influence of gestational age on LTL and compared LTL between subjects born preterm (n = 186) and at term (n = 284). Additionally, we analyzed the correlation between LTL and potential risk factors of cardiovascular disease.ResultsGestational age was positively associated with LTL (r = 0.11, p = 0.02). Subjects born preterm had shorter LTL (mean (SD) T/S ratio = 3.12 (0.44)) than subjects born at term (mean (SD) T/S ratio = 3.25 (0.46)), p = 0.003). The difference remained significant after adjustment for gender and size at birth (p = 0.001). There was no association of LTL with any one of the putative risk factors analyzed.ConclusionsYoung adults born preterm have shorter LTL than young adults born at term. Although we found no correlation between LTL and risk for CVD at this young adult age, this biological ageing indicator may contribute to CVD and other adult onset diseases at a later age in those born preterm.

Telomere length was similar in school‐age children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and allergic asthma

“…Previous studies have shown that extremely preterm and very low birth weight infants have longer telomeres at birth . In contrast, leucocyte RTL in young adulthood was shorter in individuals born preterm with a mean gestational age of 32 weeks . In our study, we could not detect a difference in RTL due to prematurity at the age of 10 years, although our cohort was more immature, with a mean gestational age of 27 weeks and had greater neonatal morbidity.…”

Association of birth outcomes and postnatal growth with adult leukocyte telomere length: Data from New Delhi Birth Cohort

“…The association of telomere length with gestational age has been studied earlier and the reports are contradictory. A recent study by Smeets et al () reported a positive association of gestational age with leukocyte telomere length at 21 years of age, a finding similar to that in our study. Kajantie et al () on the other hand reported no association between gestational age and leukocyte telomere length in three cohorts with different age ranges.…”

“…Animal studies have shown that LBW due to intrauterine growth restriction during gestation and subsequent catch‐up growth results in shorter telomere length (Jennings, Ozanne, Dorling, & Hales, ; Tarry‐Adkins et al, ; Tarry‐Adkins, Martin‐Gronert, Chen, Cripps, & Ozanne, ). Studies in humans have been equivocal with some studies showing an association between telomere length and birthweight (Entringer et al, ; Raqib et al, ), whereas others have shown no effect of birthweight on telomere length in young adults (Kajantie et al, ; Smeets, Codd, Samani, & Hokken‐Koelega, ). Earlier reports have not even addressed the issue of postnatal catch‐up growth subsequent to being born SGA on telomere length.…”

Early life growth and adult telomere length in a Filipino cohort study

“…Some studies have not considered this important factor in analyses of early life growth and TL. As maternal age predicts birth measures, including birthweight, it is possible that this explains some studies' observed associations between both gestational age and birthweight with shorter TL (Friedrich, Schwab, Griese, Fritz, & Klotz, ; Raqib et al, ; Smeets, Codd, Samani, & Hokken‐Koelega, ; Strohmaier et al, ). A better understanding of how and why maternal age is related to both birth measures and adult TL in offspring is needed to appropriately interpret findings relating early life growth and TL.…”