Association of telomere shortening with the state of the autonomic nervous and antioxidant systems in elderly patients with cerebral atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes

Abstract

The number of telomeres lost during each cell division varies from person to person. Previous studies have shown that increased oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are associated with accelerated telomere shortening, but the mechanism underlying the combination of telomere shortening with these risk factors remains hypothetical. The objectives of the study was: to determine the relationship of telomere length with indicators of oxidative stress and heart rate variability in patients with cerebral atherosclerosis at different stages, including those who underwent ischemic atherothrombotic stroke; revealing the influence of the above factors on the prognosis of shortening the telomere length in this category of patients. Material and methods. A comprehensive
clinical and instrumental study involved 84 patients with grade 1-3 CA and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). All patients underwent conventional clinical, laboratory and instrumental studies (electrocardiography (ECG), brain MRI). Results. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the relative length of the telomeres. The median of the relative length of the telomeres was 2.848. The proportion of men was 21.2% in the 1st and 52% in the 2nd group. To identify the relationship of indicators, the method of constructing logistic regression models was used. A statistically significant positive association of the risk of telomere shortening with the index of autonomic regulation of heart rhythm (LF/HF) and the concentration of thiobarbiturotoreactive substances (TBARs) was established. Conclusions. Changes in HRV and TBARs in patients with CA and DM are associated with telomere length, a marker of cell aging. Telomere length can be an early marker of weakened autonomic regulation of cardiac activity and reflect the true biological age of the ANS.