Choroidal Thickness and Urinary Albumin Excretion in Type 2 Diabetic Patients without Retinopathy

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Diabetology
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is linked to retinal vascular dysfunction.
• Emerging evidence suggests diabetic choroidal vasculopathy may precede DR.
• Early detection of choroidal changes in diabetes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare choroidal thickness (CT) in type 2 diabetic patients without DR versus nondiabetic controls.
• Investigate the association between microalbuminuria and CT in diabetic patients without DR.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study using Enhanced Depth Imaging Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (EDI SD-OCT).
• Measurements of subfoveal, temporal, and nasal choroidal thickness.
• Inclusion of 110 diabetic patients (no DR) and 30 healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Diabetic patients without DR exhibited significantly greater subfoveal CT than controls (p < 0.05).
• Diabetic patients with microalbuminuria showed thicker subfoveal and temporal choroids compared to normoalbuminuric diabetics (p < 0.05).
• Microalbuminuric diabetics had thicker subfoveal and temporal choroids than nondiabetic controls (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Choroidal thickness alterations are detectable in type 2 diabetes patients prior to retinopathy development.
• Microalbuminuria is a potential indicator of early choroidal changes in diabetic patients.
• These findings highlight the importance of monitoring choroidal health in diabetes management.