Abstract
The Family Longevity Selection Score (FLoSS) was used to select families for the Long Life Family Study (LLFS) but has never been validated in other populations. The goal of this paper is to validate how well the FLoSS-based selection procedure works in an independent dataset. In this paper, we computed FLoSS using the lifespan data of 234,155 individuals from a large comprehensive genealogically-based resource, the Utah Population Database (UPDB), born between 1779 and 1910 with mortality follow-up through 2012–2013. Computations of FLoSS in a specific year (1980) confirmed the survival advantage of the “exceptional” sibships (defined by LLFS FLoSS threshold, FLoSS ≥ 7). We found that the subsample of the UPDB participants born after 1900 who were from the “exceptional” sibships had survival curves similar to that of the US participants from the LLFS probands' generation. Comparisons between the offspring of parents with “exceptional” and “ordinary” survival showed the survival advantage of the “exceptional” offspring. Investigators seeking to explain the extent genetics and environment contribute to exceptional survival will benefit from the use of exceptionally long-lived individuals and their relatives. Appropriate ranking of families by survival exceptionality and their availability for the purposes of providing genetic and phenotypic data is critical for selecting participants into such studies. This study validated the FLoSS as selection criteria in family longevity studies using UPDB.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 277 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Volume | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
We thank the Pedigree and Population Resource of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah (funded in part by the Huntsman Cancer Foundation) for its role in the ongoing collection, maintenance and support of the Utah Population Database (UPDB). We also acknowledge partial support for the UPDB through grant P30 CA2014 from the National Cancer Institute, University of Utah and from the University of Utah's Program in Personalized Health and Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Funding. This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers U01 AG023712, P01 AG043352, R01 AG022095). The Long Life Family Study is funded by U01AG023749, U01AG023744, and U01AG023712 from the National Institute on Aging. Work of HH was supported by the grant 5K12HD085852 Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health. This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers U01 AG023712, P01 AG043352, R01 AG022095). The Long Life Family Study is funded by U01AG023749, U01AG023744, and U01AG023712 from the National Institute on Aging. Work of HH was supported by the grant 5K12HD085852 Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health. We thank the Pedigree and Population Resource of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah (funded in part by the Huntsman Cancer Foundation) for its role in the ongoing collection, maintenance and support of the Utah Population Database (UPDB). We also acknowledge partial support for the UPDB through grant P30 CA2014 from the National Cancer Institute, University of Utah and from the University of Utah’s Program in Personalized Health and Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
Keywords
- Long Life Family Study
- Utah population database
- exceptional survival
- familial longevity
- family longevity selection score