Book Description

Ageing, the decline in survival and bodily functions, caused by damage to macromolecules and tissues is intrinsically linked to life. Although universal and unavoidable, ageing does not occur in a uniform way. In the general population, it is actually a continuously distributed phenotype, in which genetic as well as environmental factors play an interactive role and explain the large interindividual differences between biological and chronological age. Cardiovascular disorders, which find there origins in deterioration of the structure and function of the large arteries, explain a large part of morbidity and mortality in industrialized societies. In this doctoral dissertation, the focus was on telomere length and arterial stiffness as biomarkers of biological and arterial ageing, respectively. It was investigated to what extent genetic and environmental determinants of oxidative stress and inflammation impact on the ageing process. Contents include: Introduction, Arterial ageing in cardiovascular risk prediction, Genetic and environmental factors in biological and arterial ageing, Telomere length and possible link to X chromosome, Role of smoking, oxidative stress and the -174 G/C interleukin-6 polymorphism in biological and vascular ageing, Environmental factors in arterial ageing, Blood pressure and blood selenium: a cross-sectional and a longitudinal population study, Endothelial function and outdoor temperature, General Discussion, Summary, Short Curriculum Vitae.