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Elevated transferrin saturation, health-related quality of life and telomere length.
Pubmed ID: 24337410
Pubmed Central ID: PMC4034347
Journal: Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine
Publication Date: Feb. 1, 2014
Affiliation: Departments of Health Services Research, Management & Policy, and Community Health and Family Medicine, Health Science Center, University of Florida, PO Box 100195, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA, arch.mainous@ufl.edu.
MeSH Terms: Humans, Male, Adult, Female, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, Telomere, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Transferrin
Grants: F06 TW002117, P20 RR016434, P20 RR016461, P20RR16461, P30 CA062203, AVU3
Authors: Mainous AG, Diaz VA, Wright RU, Hulihan MM, Twal WO, McLaren CE, McLaren GD, Argraves WS, Grant AM
Cite As: Mainous AG 3rd, Wright RU, Hulihan MM, Twal WO, McLaren CE, Diaz VA, McLaren GD, Argraves WS, Grant AM. Elevated transferrin saturation, health-related quality of life and telomere length. Biometals 2014 Feb;27(1):135-41. Epub 2013 Dec 15.
Studies:
Abstract
We sought to examine the relationship between elevated transferrin saturation (TS) and measures of health status (telomere length and patient-reported health-related quality of life) to assess whether elevated TS is associated with negative patient outcomes beyond increased risk for morbidity and mortality, using a cross-sectional analysis of the Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study supplemented with assays for leukocyte telomere length in adults ≥25 years old (n = 669). Among individuals with elevated TS (≥45 % for women and ≥50 % for men), who also had a usual source of care, only 5.2 % reported ever being told by a doctor that they had an elevated iron condition. In a fully adjusted general linear regression model controlling for demographic characteristics as well as health conditions associated with iron overload, elevated TS versus non-elevated TS was associated with worse general health status (60.4 vs. 63.8, P < 0.05), mental health status (76.5 vs. 82.2, P < 0.0001) and shorter telomere length (241.4 vs. 261.3, P < 0.05). Increased surveillance of elevated TS may be in order as elevated TS is associated with decreased health status and very few patients with elevated TS are aware of their condition.