Y. E. Rebrova^1,2,3* (https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1799-6292)
Y. A. Saienko^1,2 (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1953-1066)
K. K. Midlovets¹ (https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9898-1282)
B. M. Mankovsky^1,3 (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8289-3604)

¹SI “D.F. Chebotarev Institute of Gerontology, National Academy
of Medical Sciences of Ukraine”, Kyiv;
²SI “Center for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery of the Ministry
of Health of Ukraine”, Kyiv;
³P.L. Shupyk National University of Health Care of Ukraine, Kyiv;
*e-mail: yaninarebr@gmail.com

Received: 05 January 2026; Revised: 19 March 2026;
Accepted: 29 May 2026; Available on-line: June 2026

Background. Telomeric mechanisms are considered important contributors to chronic kidney disease progression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, although data on telomere length in diabetic kidney disease remain limited. Objective. To evaluate the relationship between telomere length and clinical characteristics in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with and without chronic kidney disease. Methods. The study included 100 patients with T2DM, divided into two groups: 50 with and 50 without CKD. Routine clinical and biochemical blood tests were performed for all subjects. Leukocyte telomere length was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction following the method described by Cawthon. Results. T2DM patients with CKD were significantly older, had a longer duration of diabetes, exhibited significantly lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), higher urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio and frequency of cardiovascular complications compared with non-CKD patients. No significant correlations were found between telomere length and age, eGFR, albuminuria, or cardiovascular disease in either group. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus chronic kidney disease was associated with higher frequency of pathologically short telomeres (20.8%) versus non-CKD patients (2.1%), suggesting accelerated cellular aging in CKD independent of chronological age. Conclusions. Shortened telomeres in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease may reflect accelerated cellular aging and could serve as an additional marker for biological risk stratification beyond traditional renal indicators.