Key points from article :
Epidemiological studies have demonstrated shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in patients suffering coronary artery disease, heart attack or stroke.
New study suggests that LTL in circulating blood does not effectively predict CVD risk in individuals without disease symptoms.
We don’t know if atherosclerosis progresses faster in people who start with shorter leukocyte telomeres, have a higher proportion of very short telomeres, or in whom telomeres shorten at a faster rate during the aging process.
There is need to find new biomarkers to enable the early identification of individuals at high risk of developing atherosclerosis because around half of cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients do not have a high risk profile based on classical risk factors.
Study included 1459 volunteers participating in the PESA (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis) clinical trial.
The study was published in the American Heart Journal.
