PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

Posttraumatic stress disorder and not depression is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length: findings from 3,000 participants in the population-based KORA F4 study.

  • Karl-Heinz Ladwig,
  • Anne Catharina Brockhaus,
  • Jens Baumert,
  • Karoline Lukaschek,
  • Rebecca T Emeny,
  • Johannes Kruse,
  • Veryan Codd,
  • Sibylle Häfner,
  • Eva Albrecht,
  • Thomas Illig,
  • Nilesh J Samani,
  • H Erich Wichmann,
  • Christian Gieger,
  • Annette Peters

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064762
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 7
p. e64762

Abstract

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BackgroundA link between severe mental stress and shorter telomere length (TL) has been suggested. We analysed the impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on TL in the general population and postulated a dose-dependent TL association in subjects suffering from partial PTSD compared to full PTSD.MethodsData are derived from the population-based KORA F4 study (2006-2008), located in southern Germany including 3,000 individuals (1,449 men and 1,551 women) with valid and complete TL data. Leukocyte TL was measured using a quantitative PCR-based technique. PTSD was assessed in a structured interview and by applying the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES). A total of 262 (8.7%) subjects qualified for having partial PTSD and 51 (1.7%) for full PTSD. To assess the association of PTSD with the average TL, linear regression analyses with adjustments for potential confounding factors were performed.ResultsThe multiple model revealed a significant association between partial PTSD and TL (beta = -0.051, p = 0.009) as well as between full PTSD and shorter TL (beta = -0.103, p = 0.014) indicating shorter TL on average for partial and full PTSD. An additional adjustment for depression and depressed mood/exhaustion gave comparable beta estimations.ConclusionsParticipants with partial and full PTSD had significantly shorter leukocyte TL than participants without PTSD. The dose-dependent variation in TL of subjects with partial and full PTSD exceeded the chronological age effect, and was equivalent to an estimated 5 years in partial and 10 years in full PTSD of premature aging.