The relation of relative leukocyte telomere length to clinical and anamnestic characteristics of patients with chronic alcohol addiction

Published data indicate a decreased relative leukocyte telomere length (RLTL) in individuals diagnosed with clinical alcohol dependence; at the same time, to date no association of clinical and anamnestic characteristics with telomere shortening in patients with alcohol addiction were reported. The present study aimed to assess the association between RLTL and the risk of developing chronic alcoholism, and to identify individual differences in RLTL in addicted patients accounting for clinical and anamnestic parameters. As a result of the analysis, no statistically significant differences in RLTL were demonstrated between patients and control group (β=-0.044, p=0.437). However, we observed more rapid telomeres shortening with age in patients with alcoholism (β=-0.246, p=0.007) compared with healthy donors (β=-0.151, p=0.050). A statistically significant effect of the inclusion in the regression model of such clinical and anamnestic characteristics as the age of onset of withdrawal syndrome (β=-0.385, p=0.001) and alcohol abuse (β=-0.254, p=0.006) on telomere shortening was identified. The data obtained confirm the acceleration of cellular aging of the organism based on RLTL in individuals who alcohol addiction.

alcohol addiction, telomeres, cell aging, biomarker, relative leukocyte telomere length

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