The Lancet Respiratory Medicine: A New Mechanism for The Occurrence of Fatal Lung Disease

December 9, 2020 // -- Idynic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) affects at least 32,000 people in the UK, or 1% of all deaths in the UK, with a life expectancy of three to five years once diagnosed.
the disease involves abnormal development of scar tissue in the lungs, which gradually reduces breathing ability.
so far, the cause is not yet known.
and a recent study could shed light on the mysterious causes of lung disease and potentially open up new treatments.
study was led by the University of Exeter and published in the lancet Journal of Medicine.
new large-scale study found that shorter telomeres are associated with an increased risk of IPF.
addition, the researchers used a complex genetic analysis method called Mendel randomization to find evidence that short telomeres can cause IMPH, not the disease itself, to shorten telomeres.
-based team worked with the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, as well as the Universities of Bath and Leicester and patients affected by IPAF.
they examined data from 1,300 IF participants in UK Biobank and compared it to similar queues to ensure that the results were repeated.
Chris Scotton, of the University of Exeter School of Medicine, said: "The cause of idynogenic pulmonary fibrosis has been difficult to identify and developing effective treatments has proved to be a huge challenge.
our study provides the strongest evidence yet that short telomeres may be the cause of this terrible disease.
means we can look for new ways to prevent or treat IPF, which is another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
because reducing stress and increasing exercise may help keep telomeres longer.
healthy people, telomeres naturally become shorter as they get older, " he said.
, however, if this reduction is accelerated, it will be considered one of the contributing factors to the health problems we may experience as we age.
the end of our DNA can impair our body's ability to cure or fight infection.
() Source: Research sheds new light on cause of deadly lung disease Original source: Anna Duckworth et al, Telomere length and risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and chronic ability pulmonary disease: a mendelian random study, The Lancet Carey Medicine (2020). DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30364-7。