Abstract
BACKGROUND: Depression has been cross-sectionally associated with short telomeres as a measure of biological age. However, the direction and nature of the association is currently unclear.
AIMS: We examined whether short telomere length is associated with depression cross-sectionally as well as prospectively and genetically.
METHOD: Telomere length and three polymorphisms, TERT, TERC and OBFC1, were measured in 67 306 individuals aged 20-100 years from the Danish general population and associated with register-based attendance at hospital for depression and purchase of antidepressant medication.
RESULTS: Attendance at hospital for depression was associated with short telomere length cross-sectionally, but not prospectively. Further, purchase of antidepressant medication was not associated with short telomere length cross-sectionally or prospectively. Mean follow-up was 7.6 years (range 0.0-21.5). The genetic analyses suggested that telomere length was not causally associated with attendance at hospital for depression or with purchase of antidepressant medication.
CONCLUSIONS: Short telomeres were not associated with depression in prospective or in causal, genetic analyses.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science |
| Vol/bind | 210 |
| Udgave nummer | 1 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 31-38 |
| Antal sider | 8 |
| ISSN | 0007-1250 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - jan. 2017 |