With no known treatments or vaccine, COVID-19 presents a major threat, particularly to older adults, who account for the majority of severe illness and deaths. The age-related susceptibility is partly explained by increased comorbidities including dementia and type II diabetes [1]. While it is unclear why these diseases predispose risk, we hypothesize that increased biological age, rather than chronological age, may be driving disease-related trends in COVID-19 severity with age. To test this hypothesis, we applied our previously validated biological age measure (PhenoAge) [2] composed of chronological age and nine clinical chemistry biomarkers to data of 347,751 participants from a large community cohort in the United Kingdom (UK Biobank), recruited between 2006 and 2010. Other data included disease diagnoses (to 2017), mortality data (to 2020), and the UK national COVID-19 test results (to May 31, 2020) [3]. Accelerated aging 10-14 years prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with test positivity (OR=1.15 per 5-year acceleration, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.21, p=3.2×10) and all-cause mortality with test-confirmed COVID-19 (OR=1.25, per 5-year acceleration, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.44, p=0.002) after adjustment for demographics including current chronological age and pre-existing diseases or conditions. The corresponding areas under the curves were 0.669 and 0.803, respectively. Biological aging, as captured by PhenoAge, is a better predictor of COVID-19 severity than chronological age, and may inform risk stratification initiatives, while also elucidating possible underlying mechanisms, particularly those related to inflammaging.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.10.20147777 | DOI Listing |
Ergonomics
January 2025
School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Age is associated with increased tissue stiffness and a higher risk of low back pain, particularly in older, sedentary workers who spend long periods sitting. This study explored how trunk stiffness changes with age and its relationship with posture during prolonged sitting in a sample of 37 women aged 20-65 years. Age was assessed as both Chronological Age and Fitness Age, with trunk stiffness measured using a passive trunk flexion apparatus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Dis Child
January 2025
Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Objective: Impaired fetal and infant growth may cause alterations in developmental programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and subsequently pubertal development. We aimed to assess associations between fetal and infant growth and pubertal development.
Design: Population-based prospective birth cohort.
Exp Gerontol
January 2025
Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via della Commenda 19, 20122 Milan, Italy; Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy. Electronic address:
Background: During aging, there is a progressive impairment of immune cell function that triggers the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines causing the so-called "inflammaging". Frailty represents a condition of increased vulnerability to stresses and reduced homeostatic reserve reflecting not only health status but also biological age. In older subjects without dementia, we showed that markers of inflammaging were differently associated with chronological age than with frailty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiological age can be quantified by composite proteomic scores, called aging clocks. We investigated whether biological age acceleration (a discrepancy between chronological and biological age) in midlife and late-life is associated with cognitive function and risk of dementia. We used two population-based cohort studies: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Sports Med
January 2025
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in pediatric and adolescent patients. Understanding this population's injury characteristics and treatment strategies is vital for managing this high-risk group.
Purpose: To report the descriptive epidemiology and treatment strategies of a large cohort of skeletally immature patients with complete ACL tears.
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