Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT2116

Background and Aims: Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures located at the ends of chromosomes, playing a crucial role in maintaining genomic stability. In most somatic cells, telomeres progressively shorten with each cell division, eventually leading to replicative senescence or apoptosis when critically short. Previous research has demonstrated that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) exhibit an increased rate of telomere shortening. However, data on telomere length in patients with both T2DM and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain limited. The aim of this study was to assess the association between telomere length and CKD in patients with T2DM.

Materials and Methods: We analyzed 105 subjects divided into three groups. The first group included 65 patients with T2DM and CKD (mean age: 70.9 ± 8.0 years; diabetes duration: 5.9 ± 2.5 years; HbA1c: 7.1 ± 1.7%; serum creatinine: 145.0 ± 87.0 µmol/l; estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): 44.0 ± 11.0 mL/min/1.73m²; albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR): 36.0 ± 74.0 mg/g). The second group included 25 patients with T2DM but without CKD (age: 53.2 ± 6.8 years; diabetes duration: 3.7 ± 2.2 years; HbA1c: 7.6 ± 2.2%; serum creatinine: 89.6 ± 14.9 µmol/l; eGFR: 81.3 ± 12.2 mL/min/1.73m²; ACR: 18.0 ± 9.7 mg/g). The third group included 15 control subjects without T2DM or CKD (age: 50.3 ± 3.8 years; HbA1c: 5.45 ± 0.3%; serum creatinine: 100.7 ± 22.5 µmol/l; eGFR: 83.0 ± 22.8 mL/min/1.73m²; ACR: 11.0 ± 4.4 mg/g). Telomere length was measured in whole blood using monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR by calculating the telomere-to-single-copy gene (T/S) ratio.

Results: Telomere length (T/S ratio) was significantly higher in both groups of patients with T2DM compared to controls (0.989 ± 0.767 in T2DM with CKD, 1.11 ± 0.789 in T2DM without CKD, 0.535 ± 0.341 in controls; P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between T2DM patients with and without CKD. Additionally, no significant correlation was found between telomere length and eGFR or ACR in any group.

Conclusion: Telomere length was shorter in patients with T2DM compared to controls, but CKD did not further contribute to telomere attrition. The pathogenetic and prognostic significance of telomere shortening in T2DM warrants further investigation.