Alteration of telomere length of the peripheral white blood cells in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the alteration of telomere length of the peripheral white blood cells in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and explore its significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The DNA was extracted from the peripheral white blood cells of 11 patients with OSAS and 10 normal subjects matched for age and gender, and the T/S ratio was measured by fluorescence quantitative PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The T/S ratio in the peripheral white blood cells of patients with OSAS was obviously lower than that of the normal subjects (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The reduction in the telomere length in the peripheral blood cells suggests a possible relationship between OSAS pathogenesis and telomere length, and hypoxemia and hypercapnia make accelerate telomere shortening and promote cell apoptosis.</p>