Telomeres Length Change in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes of Psychotic Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

In patients with schizophrenia life expectancy is shorter compared to the general population and the main causes of early mortality are somatic diseases. Schizophrenia is a complex disorder with a high risk of inheritance and is increasingly recognized as a systemic disorder, presumably having a common genetic basis with various somatic disorders. Modern research methods allow us to discover the mechanisms of etiology, pathogenesis and outcome of diseases. Changing the length of telomeres in the cells of organisms reflects the processes of development and degradation of cells, as well as the stages of its life cycle. The reduction in Telomere Length (TL) is considered one of the biological markers associated with age and can be accelerated by comorbid conditions in schizophrenia.