ArticlePloS one2012
Red blood cell size is inversely associated with leukocyte telomere length in a large multi-ethnic population.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 73 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring ethnic differences in the distribution of blood test results in healthy adult populations to inform earlier cancer detection: a systematic review.Family practice · 2024Pooled it
- Body mass index is negatively associated with telomere length: a collaborative cross-sectional meta-analysis of 87 observational studies.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2018Pooled it
- Mean Corpuscular Volume inJournal of hematology · 2026Article
- Article
- Red blood cell distribution width is an independent predictor of mortality following amputation for diabetic foot.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Factors related to mean corpuscular volume inEJHaem · 2025Article
- Article
- Eukaryotic cell size regulation and its implications for cellular function and dysfunction.Physiological reviews · 2024Review
- Telomere Length in a South African Population Co-Infected with HIV and Helminths.Current issues in molecular biology · 2024Article
- The Radio of RDW/ALB: A Cost-Effective Biomarker for Early-Stage Risk Stratification in Acute Ischemic Stroke.International journal of general medicine · 2024Article
- Association of red blood cell distribution width with hospital admission and in-hospital mortality across all-cause adult emergency department visits.JAMIA open · 2023Article
- Red cell distribution width and mortality in older patients with frailty in the emergency department.BMC emergency medicine · 2023Article
- The effect of metformin treatment on leukocyte telomere length in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a prospective case-control study.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2022Article
- Mediation Effect of Platelet Traits on Associations of Central Obesity with Aging Biomarkers in Rural Adults of Henan, China.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Impact of red cell distribution width and red cell distribution width/albumin ratio on all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes and foot ulcers: a retrospective cohort study.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2022Article
- Telomere length and telomere repeat-binding protein in children with sickle cell disease.Pediatric research · 2022Article
- Low Hemoglobin-to-Red Cell Distribution Width Ratio Is Associated with Mortality in Patients with HBV-Related Decompensated Cirrhosis.BioMed research international · 2022Article
- Low Hemoglobin-to-Red Cell Distribution Width Ratio Is Associated with Disease Progression and Poor Prognosis in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.Biomedicines · 2021Article
- Red blood cell distribution width is associated with mortality after acute ischemic stroke: a cohort study and systematic review.Annals of translational medicine · 2020Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Although mutations in the genes encoding either the protein or RNA component of telomerase have been found in patients with various blood disorders, the impact of telomere length on hematopoiesis is less well understood for subjects from the general population. Here we have measured telomere lengths of genomic DNA isolated from circulating leukocytes of 3157 subjects, ranging from 18 to 85 years of age, enrolled in a large multiethnic population based study, the Dallas Heart Study 2. Shorter telomere lengths are marginally associated with lower red blood cell counts in this cohort, but are significantly associated with larger mean red blood cell size (as measured by the MCV), increased red blood cell distribution width (RDW), higher hemoglobin levels and lower platelet counts, even after correction for age, gender and ethnicity (p-values of <0.0001, <0.0001, 0.0009 and 0.0016, respectively). In a multiple regression model we find that telomere length is a significant covariate of MCV (p = 7.6 × 10(-8)), independent of age, ethnicity, BMI, current smoking, alcohol consumption, iron or homocysteine levels. The effect of telomere length on MCV variation is comparable to the effect of smoking or alcohol consumption and is more significant in older individuals (p = 9.2 × 10(-7) for >50 years vs. p = 0.0006 for <50 years of age). To our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between telomere length and red cell size in a large urban US population and suggests a biologic mechanism for macrocytosis of aging.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.