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Biological Aging and Venous Thromboembolism: A Review of Telomeres and Beyond

Rafaela Vostatek1, Cihan Ay1

  • 1Division of Haematology and Haemostaseology, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.

Biomedicines
|January 25, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Biological aging, unlike chronological aging, is linked to venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. This review explores biological aging biomarkers, like telomere length, and their potential role in VTE, aiming to clarify their clinical application.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Aging research
  • Biomarker discovery

Background:

  • Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cardiovascular disease with increasing risk in older adults.
  • Approximately 40% of VTE cases are unprovoked, necessitating research into novel risk factors.
  • The link between chronological aging and VTE is established, but the role of biological aging remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review biomarkers of biological aging.
  • To explore the potential role of these biomarkers in venous thromboembolism (VTE).
  • To critically assess methods for assessing and validating biological aging biomarkers for VTE risk.

Main Methods:

  • Review of omics methodologies (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics).
  • Identification and quantification of molecular alterations associated with aging.
  • Examination of existing literature on biological aging biomarkers and VTE.

Main Results:

  • Omics advancements have revealed molecular changes during aging.
  • Telomere length is one discussed biomarker of biological aging.
  • Current methods for biomarker assessment and validation lack standardization.

Conclusions:

  • Biological aging biomarkers, including telomere length, may offer new insights into VTE risk.
  • Further research is needed to standardize methods and validate biomarkers for clinical application in VTE.
  • Investigating biological aging could improve risk stratification and prevention strategies for VTE.

Keywords:
biological agingtelomeresvenous thromboembolism

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