Shorter telomere length is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalities
Abstract Background Age and comorbidity are the main determinants of COVID-19 outcome. Shorter leukocyte telomere length (TL), a hallmark of biological aging, has been associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. We sought to determine TL in patients with severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization to ana...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Immunity & Ageing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12979-022-00294-9 |
| _version_ | 1811285862640517120 |
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| author | Miriam Retuerto Ana Lledó Beatriz Fernandez-Varas Rosa Guerrero-López Alicia Usategui Antonio Lalueza Rocío García-García Esther Mancebo Estela Paz-Artal Leandro Sastre Rosario Perona José L. Pablos |
| author_facet | Miriam Retuerto Ana Lledó Beatriz Fernandez-Varas Rosa Guerrero-López Alicia Usategui Antonio Lalueza Rocío García-García Esther Mancebo Estela Paz-Artal Leandro Sastre Rosario Perona José L. Pablos |
| author_sort | Miriam Retuerto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Age and comorbidity are the main determinants of COVID-19 outcome. Shorter leukocyte telomere length (TL), a hallmark of biological aging, has been associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. We sought to determine TL in patients with severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization to analyze whether clinical outcomes and post-COVID-19 manifestations are associated with shorter TL. Results We analyzed 251 patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19, hospitalized in the first months of the pandemics. We determined TL in PBL at admission by quantitative-PCR (qPCR) analysis in patients. A healthy cohort from the same area with a similar age range (n = 169) was used to calculate TL Z-scores. After hospital discharge, 144 COVID-19 survivors were followed-up for persistent COVID-19 manifestations. A second TL determination was performed in a smaller group of 63 patients 1 year later and compared with baseline TL. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients had a decreased baseline age-adjusted TL Z-score compared to the reference group. No differences in Z-scores were observed in patients with different COVID-19 outcomes, classified as WHO ordinal scores. In 144 patients, followed for a median of 8 months, post-COVID manifestations were not associated to differences in TL. Persistence of lung radiographic abnormalities was associated with shorter baseline TL. In patients with a second TL determination, further telomere shortening (TS) was observed in 35% and telomere lengthening in 49%. Patients with further TS had suffered a more severe disease. Conclusion Shorter TL is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization but not with hospital clinical outcomes nor with persistent post-COVID-19 manifestations. Delayed resolution of radiographic lung abnormalities was also associated with shorter TL. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:51:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-58266729d562475dbe5dd84eee6230ac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1742-4933 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:51:13Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Immunity & Ageing |
| spelling | doaj.art-58266729d562475dbe5dd84eee6230ac2022-12-22T03:05:50ZengBMCImmunity & Ageing1742-49332022-08-011911910.1186/s12979-022-00294-9Shorter telomere length is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalitiesMiriam Retuerto0Ana Lledó1Beatriz Fernandez-Varas2Rosa Guerrero-López3Alicia Usategui4Antonio Lalueza5Rocío García-García6Esther Mancebo7Estela Paz-Artal8Leandro Sastre9Rosario Perona10José L. Pablos11Servicio de Reumatología, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de OctubreServicio de Reumatología, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de OctubreServicio de Telomeropatías, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas CSIC/UAM; CIBER enfermedades raras; Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La PazServicio de Telomeropatías, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas CSIC/UAM; CIBER enfermedades raras; Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La PazServicio de Reumatología, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de OctubreServicio de Medicina Interna, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de OctubreServicio de Neumología, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de OctubreServicio de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de OctubreUniversidad Complutense de MadridServicio de Telomeropatías, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas CSIC/UAM; CIBER enfermedades raras; Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La PazServicio de Telomeropatías, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas CSIC/UAM; CIBER enfermedades raras; Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La PazServicio de Reumatología, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de OctubreAbstract Background Age and comorbidity are the main determinants of COVID-19 outcome. Shorter leukocyte telomere length (TL), a hallmark of biological aging, has been associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. We sought to determine TL in patients with severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization to analyze whether clinical outcomes and post-COVID-19 manifestations are associated with shorter TL. Results We analyzed 251 patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19, hospitalized in the first months of the pandemics. We determined TL in PBL at admission by quantitative-PCR (qPCR) analysis in patients. A healthy cohort from the same area with a similar age range (n = 169) was used to calculate TL Z-scores. After hospital discharge, 144 COVID-19 survivors were followed-up for persistent COVID-19 manifestations. A second TL determination was performed in a smaller group of 63 patients 1 year later and compared with baseline TL. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients had a decreased baseline age-adjusted TL Z-score compared to the reference group. No differences in Z-scores were observed in patients with different COVID-19 outcomes, classified as WHO ordinal scores. In 144 patients, followed for a median of 8 months, post-COVID manifestations were not associated to differences in TL. Persistence of lung radiographic abnormalities was associated with shorter baseline TL. In patients with a second TL determination, further telomere shortening (TS) was observed in 35% and telomere lengthening in 49%. Patients with further TS had suffered a more severe disease. Conclusion Shorter TL is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization but not with hospital clinical outcomes nor with persistent post-COVID-19 manifestations. Delayed resolution of radiographic lung abnormalities was also associated with shorter TL.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12979-022-00294-9SARS-CoV-2COVID-19Telomere lengthPulmonary fibrosis |
| spellingShingle | Miriam Retuerto Ana Lledó Beatriz Fernandez-Varas Rosa Guerrero-López Alicia Usategui Antonio Lalueza Rocío García-García Esther Mancebo Estela Paz-Artal Leandro Sastre Rosario Perona José L. Pablos Shorter telomere length is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalities Immunity & Ageing SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 Telomere length Pulmonary fibrosis |
| title | Shorter telomere length is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalities |
| title_full | Shorter telomere length is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalities |
| title_fullStr | Shorter telomere length is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shorter telomere length is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalities |
| title_short | Shorter telomere length is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalities |
| title_sort | shorter telomere length is associated with covid 19 hospitalization and with persistence of radiographic lung abnormalities |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 Telomere length Pulmonary fibrosis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12979-022-00294-9 |
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