Telomere length associates with chronological age and mortality across racially diverse pulmonary fibrosis cohorts

Abstract

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is characterized by profound scarring and poor survival. We investigated the association of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with chronological age and mortality across racially diverse PF cohorts. LTL measurements among participants with PF stratified by race/ethnicity were assessed in relation to age and all-cause mortality, and compared to controls. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate the age-LTL relationship, Cox proportional hazards models were used for hazard ratio estimation, and the Cochran–Armitage test was used to assess quartiles of LTL. Standardized LTL shortened with increasing chronological age; this association in controls was strengthened in PF (R = −0.28; P < 0.0001). In PF, age- and sex-adjusted LTL below the median consistently predicted worse mortality across all racial groups (White, HR = 2.21, 95% CI = 1.79–2.72; Black, HR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.05–4.66; Hispanic, HR = 3.40, 95% CI = 1.88–6.14; and Asian, HR = 2.11, 95% CI = 0.55–8.23). LTL associates uniformly with chronological age and is a biomarker predictive of mortality in PF across racial groups.