Shortened Telomere Length as a Risk Factor for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Meta-Analysis

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease with limited life expectancy after diagnosis. The median survival time ranges from 2 to 4 years, indicating a poor prognosis. Multiple telomere-related genes that cause telomere shortening have been associated with a significant percentage of IPF cases. This review aims to analyze the association of short telomere length with IPF incidence.

A systematic online search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane. Articles that met the criteria were included. Quality of included literature was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). The pooled standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of telomere length was calculated using a random-effect model.

Six original studies containing 622 IPF patients and 544 controls were included in the meta-analysis. The study designs were case-control and cohort. Pooled analysis showed shorter telomere length in IPF patients compared to controls (SMD: -0.84, 95% CI: -1.21 to -0.48, Z = 4.55, p<0.00001). Subgroup analysis showed that steeper telomere shortening was found in lung tissue compared to the peripheral blood sample.

This study shows significantly shorter telomere lengths in IPF patients compared to healthy controls, which suggests telomeres as a risk factor for IPF occurrence.