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Leucocyte telomere length and conduction system ageing.

Stefan van Duijvenboden1,2,3, Christopher P Nelson4,5, Zahra Raisi-Estabragh2,6,7

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Shorter telomere length (TL) is linked to slower heart conduction and increased pacemaker needs, suggesting biological ageing impacts the heart beyond chronological age. This finding highlights TL as a potential marker for cardiac conduction issues.

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Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Gerontology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Cardiac conduction system aging is a significant clinical concern.
  • Telomere length (TL) serves as a biomarker for cellular aging.
  • Investigating TL's role in cardiac conduction offers insights beyond chronological age.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the association between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and cardiac conduction.
  • To examine LTL's relationship with electrocardiogram (ECG) measures (PR interval, QRS duration).
  • To determine if LTL predicts incident pacemaker implantation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized UK Biobank data from over 420,000 participants.
  • Measured PR interval and QRS duration from ECGs.
  • Analyzed incident pacemaker implantation using hospital records and employed multivariable regression and Mendelian randomization (MR).

Main Results:

  • Shorter LTL correlated with a longer PR interval (p=0.021).
  • Reduced LTL was associated with an increased risk of pacemaker implantation (HR per SD decrease: 1.03, p=0.012), independent of confounders.
  • MR analyses indicated a trend but were likely underpowered.

Conclusions:

  • Shorter LTL is significantly associated with prolonged atrioventricular conduction and pacemaker implantation.
  • These associations appear possibly causal and are independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
  • Findings suggest biological aging, indicated by TL, plays a role in cardiac conduction beyond chronological age.