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Ethnic Variation in Diabetic Retinopathy Lesion Distribution on Ultra-widefield Imaging
Ye He1, Aditya Verma2, Muneeswar G Nittala2
1From the Doheny Eye Institute (Y.H., A.V., M.G.N., S.B.V., H.E., I.T., S.R.S.), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Pasadena, California, USA; Department of Ophthalmology (Y.H., H.E., I.T., P.P., S.R.S.), David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Retinal Functions and Diseases (Y.H., X.L., X.L.), Tianjin Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Disease, Eye Institute and School of Optometry, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) lesion distribution varies by ethnicity. East Asian eyes show more peripheral lesions, while South Asian eyes exhibit more central lesions, suggesting ethnic differences in DR progression.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Medical Imaging
- Public Health
Background:
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision loss.
- Understanding DR lesion distribution is crucial for predicting disease progression.
- Ethnic variations in DR prevalence and severity are documented, but lesion distribution differences are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate ethnic differences in the distribution patterns of diabetic retinopathy lesions.
- To compare the proportion of peripheral versus central DR lesions across diverse ethnic groups.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study analyzed 226 eyes with DR from East Asian, South Asian, Caucasian, and Latino populations.
- Ultrawide field pseudocolor images were used for lesion annotation.
- Four quantitative methods classified lesions as predominantly peripheral (PPL) or predominantly central (PCL).
Main Results:
- East Asian eyes showed a higher prevalence of PPL (86.3%), whereas South Asian eyes had a higher prevalence of PCL (64.7%).
- These ethnic differences persisted in treatment-naïve eyes and in those without proliferative DR.
- Significant differences in PPL to PCL distribution were observed between East Asian and other ethnic groups.
Conclusions:
- Diabetic retinopathy lesion distribution varies significantly among ethnic groups.
- East Asian individuals tend to have more peripheral DR lesions, contrasting with South Asian individuals who show more central lesions.
- Further research is needed to explore the prognostic implications of these observed ethnic variations in DR lesion patterns.
