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Updated: May 13, 2026
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Monochrome Multiplex Quantitative PCR Telomere Length Measurement
Published on: March 22, 2024
Telomere length and ischaemic stroke in women: a nested case-control study
M Schürks1, J Prescott, R Dushkes
1Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215-1204, USA. krexrode@partners.org
European Journal of Neurology
|March 26, 2013
Summary
Relative telomere length (RTL) did not show an association with ischaemic stroke risk in women. Further research is needed to clarify the link between telomere length and stroke outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular epidemiology
- Genetics and aging
Background:
- Telomere shortening is linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Limited prospective data exist on relative telomere length (RTL) and ischaemic stroke.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between RTL and the risk of incident ischaemic stroke in women.
- To examine if RTL predicts ischaemic stroke in a large prospective cohort.
Main Methods:
- Nested case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study.
- Matched 504 ischaemic stroke cases with controls based on age, smoking, and menopausal factors.
- Measured RTL using quantitative PCR on genomic DNA from blood leukocytes.
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between RTL and overall ischaemic stroke risk.
- Odds ratios for stroke were 0.82 (lowest vs. highest quartile) and 0.90 (below vs. above median).
- A non-significant trend towards increased risk for fatal ischaemic stroke was observed in the lowest RTL quartile.
Conclusions:
- Relative telomere length is not associated with ischaemic stroke risk in women.
- Findings contribute to the ongoing debate on telomere length and stroke.
- Further research is warranted to fully understand telomere dynamics in stroke etiology.
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