Franny Jongbloed

152 CHAPTER 6 No MetS MetS HC 0 10 20 30 40 * CD4 + Relative telomere length (%) of CD4 + T cells No MetS MetS HC 0 10 20 30 40 CD8 + Relative telomere length (%) of CD8 + T cells 50 £ No MetS No MetS >50 50 £ MetS MetS >50 50 £ HC HC >50 0 10 20 30 40 * Relative telomere length (%) of CD4 + T cells 50 £ No MetS No MetS >50 50 £ MetS MetS > 50 50 £ HC HC >50 0 10 20 30 40 Relative telomere length (%) of CD8 + T cells 50 £ Obesity Obesity >50 50 £ HC HC >50 0 10 20 30 40 Relative telomere length (%) of CD4 + T cells 50 £ Obesity Obesity >50 50 £ HC HC >50 0 10 20 30 40 Relative telomere length (%) of CD8 + T cells A D B E C F Figure 1. Relative telomere length (RTL) prior to bariatric surgery. (A) RTL of CD4 + T-cells was significantly lower in the MetS group compared to no MetS. (B) Age did not have an effect on RTL of CD4 + T-cells. (C) In patients ≤50 years, MetS resulted in lower CD4 + RTL than in the absence of MetS. In patients >50 years, a large spread in interquartile range was seen in both groups. (D) No changes were seen in the CD8 + RTL due to MetS, (E) due to age or (F) due to both MetS and age. MetS = metabolic syndrome. HC = healthy controls. * = P< 0.05.