Shorter leukocyte telomere length is associated with adverse COVID-19 outcomes: A cohort study in UK Biobank.

ABSTRACT: Background Older age is the most powerful risk factor for adverse coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) outcomes. It is uncertain whether leucocyte telomere length (LTL), previously proposed as a marker of biological age, is also associated with COVID-19 outcomes. Methods We associated LTL values obtained from participants recruited into UK Biobank (UKB) during 2006-2010 with adverse COVID-19 outcomes recorded by 30 November 2020, defined as a composite of any of the following: hospital admission, need for critical care, respiratory support, or mortality. Using information on 130 LTL-associated genetic variants, we conducted exploratory Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses in UKB to evaluate whether observational associations might reflect cause-and-effect relationships. Findings Of 6775 part

SUBMITTER: Wang Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8299112 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature