Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39647990›Full record

ArticleChinese medical journal2025

Association of leukocyte telomere length with the risk of digestive diseases: A large-scale cohort study.

Hongqun Yang, Lanlan Chen, Yahui Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Chinese medical journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Hongqun YangThe Secondary Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China.
Lanlan ChenThe First Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China.
Yahui LiuThe Secondary Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLeukocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening, a biomarker of telomere attrition, has been linked to multiple diseases. However, the relationship between LTL and digestive diseases remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the association between LTL and the risk of digestive diseases.

methodsA cohort analysis of over 500,000 participants from the UK Biobank (UKB) between 2006 and 2021 was conducted to estimate the associations of LTL with more than 90 common digestive diseases. LTL was quantified using multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and cases of each disease were determined according to inpatient and primary care data. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of LTL with the risk of digestive diseases. Furthermore, such associations were also evaluated after stratification by sex and ethnicity.

resultsAfter a mean follow-up time of 11.8 years, over 20 International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision ( ICD-10 ) codes were showed to be associated with telomere attrition. LTL shortening is associated with an increased risk of several digestive diseases, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (K21: hazard ratio [HR] = 1.30, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.19-1.42), esophageal ulcer (K221: HR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.22-2.71), Barrett's esophagus (K227: HR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.14-2.17), gastritis (K29: HR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.26-1.52), duodenal ulcer (K26: HR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.14-2.12), functional dyspepsia (K30X: HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.06-1.69), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (K760: HR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.09-1.78), liver cirrhosis (K74: HR = 4.73, 95% CI: 3.27-6.85), cholangitis (K830: HR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.30-5.00), and hernia (K43: HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.17-1.94; K44: HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.17-1.42). The risk of rectal polyps (K621: HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.63-0.92) decreased per unit shortening of LTL.

conclusionsThis study suggests that LTL shortening is associated with an increased risk of most digestive diseases except for rectal polyps. These findings may provide some clues for understanding the pathogenesis of digestive diseases.

Indexed as

LeukocytesProportional Hazards ModelsTelomereAdultAgedCohort StudiesDigestive System DiseasesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsTelomere Shortening

Identifiers

PMID39647990
PMCPMC11717523

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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.