Table 3.
Association of Telomere Length with Incident Dementia after Blood Draw.
| ALL | HR | 95%CI | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| N = 1,559; Incident Dementia n = 190 | |||
| Shorter Telomere Length (kbp) | 1.21 | 1.00 - 1.46 | 0.05 |
| Men | 1.19 | 0.86 - 1.64 | ns |
| Ethnicity (Hispanic) | 2.02 | 1.25 - 3.27 | 0.004 |
| Education (yr) | 0.92 | 0.89 - 0.96 | 0.0001 |
| APOE ≥1 ε4 | 1.36 | 0.97 - 1.89 | 0.07 |
| Age-at-blood-draw (yr) | 1.12 | 1.10 - 1.15 | <0.0000001 |
| Men | |||
| N = 545; Incident Dementia n = 56 | |||
| Shorter Telomere Length (kbp) | 0.94 | 0.65 - 1.35 | ns |
| Ethnicity (Hispanic) | 3.40 | 1.37 - 8.42 | 0.01 |
| Education (yr) | 0.91 | 0.85 - 0.98 | 0.02 |
| APOE ≥1 ε4 | 1.01 | 0.54 - 1.89 | ns |
| Age-at-blood-draw (yr) | 1.12 | 1.07 - 1.17 | 0.00001 |
| Women | |||
| N = 1,114; Incident Dementia n = 134 | |||
| Shorter Telomere Length (kbp) | 1.33 | 1.06 – 1.68 | 0.01 |
| Ethnicity (Hispanic) | 1.78 | 1.00 - 3.16 | 0.05 |
| Education (yr) | 0.93 | 0.89 - 0.98 | 0.01 |
| APOE ≥1 ε4 | 1.46 | 0.99 - 2.17 | 0.06 |
| Age-at-blood-draw (yr) | 1.13 | 1.09 - 1.16 | <0.0000001 |
Cox regression model of telomere length on outcome of incident dementia, with covariates age-at-blood-draw, gender, ethnicity (Hispanic compared with non-Hispanic whites), education, and APOE ε4 carrier status. Shorter TL, on a continuous basis, relates to shorter time to dementia, but only clearly so in women. Covariates also are associated with incident dementia, as shown in this table.