J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2022 Jan;63(1):20-26. 10.3341/jkos.2022.63.1.20.

Retinal Vascular Caliber Changes in Early Type 2 Diabetic Patients without Retinopathy

• Park JW
• Bae JH
• Song SJ
• Kim JM

• KMID: 2524934
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2022.63.1.20

Abstract

Purpose
To evaluate the retinal vascular caliber in early type 2 diabetic patients without retinopathy.
Methods
This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of 85 patients who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (age, 10-48 years) and sex-matched healthy controls. Dilated fundus examinations were performed to confirm the absence of diabetic retinopathy. Fundus photographs were acquired and analyzed using software that semi-automatically measured retinal vascular caliber. Central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE), central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE), and arteriovenous ratio (AVR) were determined using the revised Parr-Hubbard formula. Healthy controls were examined using the same approach.
Results
There were no significant differences between patients and controls in terms of CRAE (149.92 ± 21.29 µm and 144.85 ± 17.14 µm, respectively; p = 0.137) or CRVE (195.85 ± 22.94 µm and 196.69 ± 18.43 µm, respectively; p = 0.829). However, AVR was significantly higher in the patient group (0.768 ± 0.088 vs. 0.737 ± 0.061; p = 0.031). In the patient group, AVR was significantly correlated with hemoglobin A1c (r = 0.325, p = 0.006), but not with body mass index (p = 0.478).
Conclusions
An increase in peripapillary AVR may be an early feature of retinal vessels observed in patients with type 2 diabetes, which is closely related to elevated blood sugar.

Keyword

Arteriovenous ratio; Retinal vascular caliber; Type 2 diabetes