U. S. researchers have said that children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may face accelerated aging as adults.

The DNA of healthy adults who had a history of childhood maltreatment, were examined by Audrey Tyrka and her colleagues from Butler Hospital and Brown University in Providence, R. I.

It was found by the study that they had shorter telomeres -- region of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration -- than those who did not experience child maltreatment.

Tyrka further said that telomere length is a measure of biological aging because telomeres shorten progressively with each cell division.

Shorter telomere lengths have been linked to a variety of aging-related medical conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

According to Tyrka, the findings "suggest the possibility that early developmental experiences may have profound effects on biology that can influence cellular mechanisms at a very basic level and even lead to accelerated aging." (With Inputs from Agencies)