Telomere length as a biomarker of the risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with coronary heart disease

Aim. To study the effect of oxidative stress and telomere length in the chromosomes of blood leukocytes in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) on the development of cardiovascular complications. Materials and methods. In 119 patients with CHD, the level of oxidatively modified low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) in blood plasma and the length of telomeres in nuclear blood cells were determined during the examination. After 5 years, a telephone survey of patients (or their relatives) was conducted to obtain data on the presence of cardiovascular complications. Telomere length was determined using quantitative real-time PCR, and the level of ox-LDL was determined by immunochemical method. Results. It was found that reducing the length of telomeres in patients with CHD increases the risk of subsequent development of cardiovascular complications. A strong negative correlation was found between the level of ox-LDL and telomere length in the group of examined CHD patients who had cardiovascular complications after 5 years. Conclusion. CHD patients with short telomere length and high levels of ox-LDL have an increased risk of cardiovascular complications during 5 years.