Association of leukocyte telomere length with the risk of digestive diseases: A large-scale cohort study

• Published in: 中华医学杂志英文版 Vol. 138; no. 1; pp. 60 - 67
• Main Authors: Yang Hongqun, Chen Lanlan, Liu Yahui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: The Secondary Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China%The First Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China 2025
• Subjects: Telomere shortening; Gastrointestinal diseases; Leukocyte telomere length; Digestive system diseases; Hepatobiliary diseases
• ISSN: 0366-6999
• DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000002994

Background::Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening, a biomarker of telomere attrition, has been linked to multiple diseases. However, the relationship between LTL and digestive diseases remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the association between LTL and the risk of digestive diseases.Methods::A cohort analysis of over 500,000 participants from the UK Biobank (UKB) between 2006 and 2021 was conducted to estimate the associations of LTL with more than 90 common digestive diseases. LTL was quantified using multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and cases of each disease were determined according to inpatient and primary care data. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of LTL with the risk of digestive diseases. Furthermore, such associations were also evaluated after stratification by sex and ethnicity.Results::After a mean follow-up time of 11.8 years, over 20 International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision ( ICD-10