In patients with both familial and sporadic IPF, diminished telomerase activity and prematurely shortened telomere length (TL) have been found in blood leukocytes regardless of the presence of genetic mutations in TERT (Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase) and/or in TERC (telomerase RNA component) [57]. Here, TERT is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.