Epigenetic ageing measures associated with kidney disease in type 1 diabetes

Researchers compared 10 epigenetic clock measures and telomere lengths in participants with type 1 diabetes, with or without diabetic kidney disease, in two cohorts: UK-RoI (n=464) and FinnDiane (n=795). Analyses examined associations with kidney disease and, in longitudinal subsets, changes in methylation and progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The progression analysis included 384 participants with kidney disease and a median follow-up of 7.7 years.

Higher PhenoAge and shorter epigenetically predicted telomere length were associated with diabetic kidney disease in both cohorts. Participants with kidney disease were approximately two years older by the PhenoAge measure. Progression from normoalbuminuria to severely increased albuminuria was associated with increased epigenetic age acceleration. PhenoAge acceleration predicted ESKD progression (hazard ratio 1.07 per year, 95% CI 1.03–1.11; C-index 0.67). The findings are observational associations; the abstract does not establish that these biomarkers improve clinical decision-making or are ready for routine use.