Heart Disease Risk

According to medicalnewstoday and medicalxpress, a shorter telomere length was strongly associated with risk of cardiovascular death or heart attack.  Although, it is typical for telomeres to shorten as cells divide and chromosomes replicate over time.   The study was presented at the American College of Cardiology 2012 Annual Scientific Session, March 24 to 26 in Chicago.  Scientists evaluated the risk of cardiovascular death or heart attack based on telomere length and other characteristics.  Shorter telomeres were associated with older age, male gender, smoking, prior heart attack and heart failure.  Age only accounts for seven percent of the variability in telomere length.

[caption id="attachment_4128" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes."][/caption]

Many different genetic and environmental factors, like diabetes, high cholesterol and smoking predispose patients to suffering cardiovascular events.  Even when accounting for all of these other known risk factors, patients with short telomeres have an increased risk of having a heart attack.

It is weird to think that measuring telomere length may be useful for many people by being able to predict the risk of cardiovascular events.  This can be helpful in increasing prevention.  Although obviously there are environmental factors that contribute to an increased risk of heart disease, it is good to know there are genetic factors that could help prevent it.