Table 1.
Descriptive statistics of the study population, including data on mean LTL, fatigue and lifestyle, mental health and somatic disease covariates.
| Characteristics | Total (N = 439) | Female (N = 294) | Male (N = 145) | P value (sex diff.) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTL (in kb) | Mean (SD) | 4.59 | 4.67 | 4.47 | 0.005* |
| Fatigue score | Mean (SD) | 5.35 | 5.29 | 5.46 | 0.170 |
| 0 | N (%) | 4 (0.9%) | 4 (1.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| 1 | N (%) | 3 (0.7%) | 3 (1.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| 2 | N (%) | 17 (3.9%) | 11 (3.7%) | 6 (4.1%) | |
| 3 | N (%) | 21 (4.8%) | 15 (5.1%) | 6 (4.1%) | |
| 4 | N (%) | 29 (6.6%) | 19 (6.5%) | 10 (6.9%) | |
| 5 | N (%) | 58 (13.2%) | 42 (14.3%) | 16 (11.0%) | |
| 6 | N (%) | 307 (69.9%) | 200 (68.0%) | 107 (73.8%) | |
| Age | Mean(SD) | 78.4 | 78.5 | 78.1 | 0.334 |
| Zygosity | MZ N (%) | 204 (46.5%) | 138 (46.9%) | 66 (45.5%) | |
| DZ N (%) | 235 (53.5%) | 156 (53.1%) | 79 (54.5%) | ||
|
| |||||
| Smoking | Never N (%) | 154 (35.1%) | 129 (43.9%) | 25 (17.2%) | |
| Former N (%) | 155 (35.3%) | 86 (29.3%) | 69 (47.6%) | ||
| Current N (%) | 139 (29.6%) | 79 (26.9%) | 51 (35.2%) | ||
| BMI | Mean (SD) | 24.13 | 23.65 | 25.09 | <0.001* |
| <18.5 | N (%) | 25 (5.7%) | 23 (7.8%) | 2 (1.4%) | |
| 18.5–24.9 | N (%) | 236 (53.8%) | 174 (59.2%) | 62 (42.8%) | |
| 25–29.9 | N (%) | 157 (35.8%) | 80 (27.2%) | 77 (53.1%) | |
| >30 | N (%) | 17(3.9%) | 13 (4.4%) | 4 (2.8%) | |
| Physical activity | Mean (SD) | 2.52 | 2.52 | 2.52 | 0.979 |
| 0 | N (%) | 62 (14.1%) | 43 (14.6%) | 19 (13.1%) | |
| 1 | N (%) | 14 (3.2%) | 9 (3.1%) | 5 (3.4%) | |
| 2 | N (%) | 152 (34.6%) | 98 (33.3%) | 54 (37.2%) | |
| 3 | N (%) | 55 (12.9%) | 40 (13.6%) | 15 (10.3%) | |
| 4 | N (%) | 156 (35.5%) | 104 (35.4%) | 52 (35.8%) | |
|
| |||||
| Cognitive comp. | Mean (SD) | 1.46 | 1.63 | 1.11 | 0.113 |
| Depression sympt. | Mean (SD) | 20.76 | 20.87 | 20.54 | 0.434 |
|
| |||||
| Rheumatic disease | No N | 283 | 172 | 115 | |
| Yes N (%) | 156 (35.5%) | 122 (41.5%) | 34 (23.4%) | ||
| CVD | No N | 280 | 182 | 98 | |
| Yes N (%) | 159 (36.2%) | 112 (38.1%) | 47 (32.4%) | ||
| Cancer | No N | 389 | 258 | 131 | |
| Yes N (%) | 50 (11.4%) | 36 (12.2%) | 14 (9.7%) | ||
| Diabetes | No N | 419 | 280 | 139 | |
| Yes N (%) | 20 (4.6%) | 14 (4.8%) | 6 (4.1%) | ||
*Significant difference between sexes. τThe P value for sex-differences has been adjusted for age.
LTL: leukocyte telomere length; CVD: cardiovascular disease; MZ: monozygotic twins; DZ: dizygotic twins.