Invited Commentary
Commentary on “Association Between Maternal-Perceived Psychological Stress and Fetal Telomere Length”
Abstract
In this issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Salihu and colleagues present evidence of significantly shortened fetal telomere lengths in pregnant women who scored high on the Perceived Stress Scale.1 Typically, telomere shortening occurs over time and has been associated with cell apoptosis, premature aging, and degenerative diseases such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases.2,3 In utero epigenetic effects of maternal stress mediated by transplacental passage of maternal cortisol is believed to be one of the mechanisms for fetal programming.4 The authors hypothesize that maternal stress is a possible marker for fetal programming that leads to accelerated chromosomal aging as manifested by shortened fetal telomere lengths.This content is limited to qualifying members.
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