The correlation between the clinical laboratory data and the telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes of Japanese female patients with hypertension

Objective: This study investigated the correlation between the chronological age, telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and blood laboratory data of female patients with mild hypertension to identify laboratory data that reflect the biological aging of individuals. Design: Cross-sectional population-based study. Setting: Outpatient clinic of the Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Geriatric Medicine Kyushu University Hospital at Beppu in Japan. Participants: Outpatients with mild hypertension treated with a low dose of amlodipine. Measurements: The laboratory data of female patients were collected and the telomere length parameters in their peripheral blood leukocytes were determined by Southern blotting. Any correlations between the laboratory data and the telomere length parameters were assessed. Results: The patients showed a positive correlation between the telomere length and the high density lipoprotein, albumin, creatinine, hemoglobin levels, red blood cell counts, and a negative correlation with the globulin level. The extent of subtelomeric methylation of long telomeres tended to correlate negatively with the telomeric attrition. Only the creatinine level correlated with subtelomeric methylation, but not with telomeric length. Conclusion: HDL and the albumin/globulin ratio were potential indicators for individual somatic genomic aging. Creatinine may therefore be a useful indicator for a predisposition for telomeric attrition.