Higher biological age linked to death risk after surgery
Surgical patients classified as “Fast Agers” had a 49% higher relative risk of death than those classified as “Normal Agers.”
430,000 participants, independent replication
Limit: Absolute death rates are missing, making the relative risk harder to interpret
Stake: An author holds shares in Volastra Therapeutics. An author holds shares in One Three Biotech.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An international observational study examined biological age and surgical outcomes in over 430,000 surgical patients across the UK, US and South Korea. Researchers used PhenoAge, a measure of biological age based on routine laboratory data.
In the UK Biobank cohort of 291,845 patients, higher PhenoAge was associated with death within one year, major heart and blood vessel events, and hospital readmission within 30 days. These associations remained after accounting for chronological age, frailty, existing illnesses and other surgical risk factors. The main findings also held in three independent cohorts. In a prospective cohort at a large academic medical center, PhenoAge was also linked to acute complications within three days.
Why it matters
The authors propose using biological age alongside chronological age to guide preparation for surgery and decisions about complex procedures.
Caveats
The observational design cannot show that biological aging caused poorer surgical outcomes. The abstract does not report patients’ ages or absolute death rates, limiting interpretation of the relative risk.
- PhenoAge
- Major adverse cardiovascular events
- Postoperative complications
- Postoperative morbidity
- American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status
- Humans
The paper
Weill Cornell Medicine
npj Aging, Jul 4, 2026, Open access
