LEUKOCYTE TELOMERE LENGTH AND WITHIN VISIT BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY IN US ADULTS: NHANES 1999-2002

Purpose: This study investigated whether an inverse association is present between leukocyte telomere length and within-visit blood pressure variability in adults.

Methods: Data was obtained from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (1999-2002). Participants were 20 years and older and had completed the physical examination and dietary interview (n=5,583). Multivariate linear regression was conducted to study the association between leukocyte telomere length and within-visit blood pressure variability. Due to strong associations of age with both measures: outcome and main predictor, additional analyses were conducted to control for age.

Results: In the unadjusted linear regression model, leukocyte telomere length was significantly associated with systolic, but not diastolic, within-visit blood pressure variability (P=.003, P=.80, respectively). After adjusting for age, this association was no longer significant (P=.48). Additional analyses were conducted to control for age, and leukocyte telomere length remained not significantly associated with within-visit blood pressure variability.

Conclusions: The association of leukocyte telomere length and systolic within-visit blood pressure variability at the same visit could not be distinguished from their individual association with age. Further research is needed to examine whether visit-to-visit blood pressure variability is associated with leukocyte telomere length or leukocyte telomere length predicts increased within-visit blood pressure variability later in life.