Proteomics-derived organ-specific aging clusters predict macrovascular and microvascular complications in diabetes
Authors' conclusion
Proteomics-based organ aging assessment identifies significant complication-specific vulnerability patterns and substantially elevated risks with multiorgan involvement, supporting comprehensive aging evaluation for diabetes risk stratification.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with diabetes; proteomics-based biological age gaps across 11 organ systems; complication-free patients for incident risk1,707 complication-free
- Participants
- 1,979 patients
- Exposure
- Extreme organ-specific aging vs non-extreme aging
- Outcome
- Incident long-term diabetes complications (all-cause death, CVD, DR, peripheral artery disease (PAD), CKD)
- Follow-up
- Median 12.71 years
Methodological detailsplasma proteomic profiling (Olink Explore 3072), three validated aging models, multivariable Cox models
- Plasma proteomic profiling (Olink Explore 3072)
- Three validated aging models
- Multivariable Cox models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident CVD
Each group vs non-extreme agingAdjusted hazard ratio (95% CI)P value
Extreme cardiac aging
2.92(2.13–3.99)
P < 0.001Extreme brain aging
1.43(1.06–1.92)
P = 0.019Extreme arterial aging
1.59(1.06–2.39)
P = 0.024Extreme pancreatic aging
1.35(1.04–1.77)
P = 0.027Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Incident events during follow-up · median follow-up 12.71 years
- All-cause deaths
- 356 (20.86%)
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
- 348 (20.39%)
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR)
- 227 (13.30%)
- Peripheral artery disease
- 88 (5.16%)
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
- 280 (16.40%)
Number of extremely aged organs
- Extreme aging in >3 organs: significantly higher risk of incident diabetes complications vs no or 1–3 extremely aged organs
Additive interaction: concurrent heart and muscle aging on CVD risk
- Relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI)
- 3.49 (95% CI 0.74, 8.16)
- Attributable proportion (AP)
- 0.58 (95% CI 0.14, 0.74)
Original publication
Proteomics-derived organ-specific aging clusters predict macrovascular and microvascular complications in diabetes. Cardiovasc Diabetol. Published 15 February 2026. doi:10.
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