Abstract
Background Recent studies have shown telomere-length shortening as a risk predictor for cardiovascular disease. However, to date, no prospective data are available on its potential involvement in venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods Using leukocyte DNA samples collected at baseline in a prospective cohort of 14,916 initially healthy American men, we examined the relationship of mean telomere repeat copy number to single gene copy number ( T/ S ratio), using a modified quantitative polymerase chain reaction protocol, amongst 108 White males who subsequently developed a first ever VTE event and amongst an equal number of age- and smoking-matched White males who remained free of vascular events during follow-up (controls). Results An inverse correlation between T/ S ratios and age was observed in our controls ( p = 0.04). However, the T/ S ratios were similar between cases and controls ( p = 0.31). Furthermore, in a multi-variable adjusted analysis, we found no evidence for an association of the observed T/ S ratios with VTE risk (odds ratio = 1.20; 95%CI = 0.58–2.52; p = 0.62). Conclusions The present investigation found no evidence for an association of relative telomere length with risk of incident VTE.
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