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The Association of Systemic Endothelial Dysfunction With Diffuse Diabetic Macular Edema
Nikolaos Gouliopoulos1, Gerasimos Siasos2, Evangelos Oikonomou2
12nd Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'Attikon' University General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Angiology
|June 18, 2024
Summary
Systemic endothelial dysfunction, measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), is significantly impaired in diabetic macular edema (DME) patients. This dysfunction is more pronounced in diffuse-DME compared to focal-DME.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss.
- Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a severe complication of diabetic retinopathy.
- Systemic endothelial dysfunction may play a role in DME development and progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between systemic endothelial dysfunction and DME.
- To determine if endothelial dysfunction is more severe in diffuse-DME compared to focal-DME.
- To assess flow-mediated dilation (FMD) as a non-invasive marker for DME severity.
Main Methods:
- Enrolled 84 patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy.
- Categorized patients into non-DME (n=38), focal-DME (n=25), and diffuse-DME (n=21) groups.
- Assessed systemic endothelial function non-invasively using flow-mediated dilation (FMD).
Main Results:
- FMD was significantly lower in DME patients compared to non-DME patients (P = .003).
- FMD was significantly lower in diffuse-DME patients than in focal-DME patients (P = .002).
- Impaired FMD independently predicted diffuse-DME (OR: 0.06, P = .007).
Conclusions:
- Systemic endothelial dysfunction is associated with DME.
- Diffuse-DME is characterized by more severe endothelial dysfunction than focal-DME.
- Non-invasive FMD measurement can help identify patients with more severe DME.
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