Early Assessment of the Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy Can Reduce the Risk of Peripheral Arterial and Cardiovascular Diseases in Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUNDS: There is still a lack of consensus about how to assess the risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR).

AIMS: We investigated the risk factors for DR and their association with PAD and CVD in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS: A total of 1,421 patients diagnosed with T2D participated in this study. DR stages were classified as non-DR, nonproliferative DR (NPDR), or proliferative DR (PDR). Logistic regression analysis was employed to analyze risk factors associated with DR.

RESULTS: NPDR and PDR patients had higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and higher levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) than the non-DR group (p < 0.05). The prevalence of abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) in the non-DR, NPDR, and PDR groups was 7.00, 10.80, and 13.96%, respectively (p < 0.05) and the prevalence of peripheral arterial plaques was 68.48, 81.38, and 80.56%, respectively (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that DR (vs. non-DR) was associated with peripheral arterial plaques (OR = 2.07), SBP ≥130 mm Hg (OR = 1.53) and levels of hemoglobin (Hb)A1c (OR = 2.11) and TC (OR = 1.42).

CONCLUSION: PAD is commonly associated with NPDR and PDR. Hypercholesterolemia is an important risk factor for the development of PAD and CVD in patients with DR. Our results suggest that a routine ABI test, duplex ultrasonography, and obtaining a lipid profile for DR patients may help to reduce the occurrence of PAD and CVD.