TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Telomeres are shorter and associated with number of suicide attempts in affective disorders
JO  - Journal of affective disorders
A1  - Birkenæs, Viktoria
A1  - Elvsåshagen, Torbjørn
A1  - Westlye, Lars T.
A1  - Høegh, Margrethe C.
A1  - Haram, Marit
A1  - Werner, Maren C. F.
A1  - Quintana, Daniel S.
A1  - Lunding, Synve H.
A1  - Martin-Ruiz, Carmen
A1  - Agartz, Ingrid
A1  - Djurovic, Srdjan
A1  - Steen, Nils Eiel
A1  - Andreassen, Ole A.
A1  - Aas, Monica
SP  - 1032
EP  - 1039
VL  - 295
IS  - 
N2  - Background  Shorter telomere length is a putative biomarker of accelerated aging and has been associated with affective disorders and mortality. Psychological factors and behaviors associated with telomere shortening are yet to be clarified. Here, we investigate the association between history of suicide attempts and telomere length in patients with affective disorders.   Methods  Leucocyte telomere length was determined by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) in patients with affective disorders (n = 248) including bipolar disorders type I (n = 159), type II (n = 67), major depressive disorder (n = 22), and healthy controls (n = 401). Diagnosis, duration of illness, and age at onset were assessed using the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I). Number of lifetime suicide attempts were based on self-reports. Effect size was calculated using Cohen's d.   Results  Telomere length was reduced in patients with affective disorders relative to healthy controls (d = 0.18, F = 5.26, p = 0.02). Among patients, a higher number of suicide attempts was associated with shorter telomere length (β = −0.24, t = −3.83, CI = −0.44 to −0.14, p < 0.001), also when controlling for duration of illness and age at onset (β = −.23, CI = −.42 to −.12, p = 0.001). Multiple suicide attempts were associated with telomere length reduction comparable to eight years lifespan, adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics.   Conclusions  While longitudinal data are needed to clarify the temporal course, previous suicide attempts and related distress may accelerate telomere shortening and aging in patients with affective disorders.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0165-0327
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.135
ID  - ref1
ER  -