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Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Using Retinal Imaging to Study Dementia
Published on: November 6, 2017
The Association Between Diabetic Retinopathy Severity and Dementia Risk: A TriNetX Longitudinal Cohort Study
Millen S Khangura1, Michelle A Spratt1, Audrey Gao2
1From the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University (M.S.K., M.A.S.), Stony Brook, New York, USA.
Purpose:
Diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) have been associated with higher incidence of dementia and may serve as clinical indicators for underlying cognitive disease. This study investigated whether severity of DR is linked to increased risk of dementia.
Design:
Retrospective cohort study.
Participants:
Participants were categorized into 4 groups: proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), nonproliferative DR (NPDR), type 2 DM (DM2) without DR, and no DM. Individuals under age 65 and those with macular edema were excluded.
Methods:
Groups were propensity score matched 1:1 for demographic and clinical covariates. Outcomes included incidence of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VD), assessed using Cox proportional hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Kaplan-Meier analysis evaluated time to dementia onset.
Main Outcome Measures:
Incidence and hazard ratios of all-cause dementia, AD, and VD.
Results:
The TriNetX database identified 14,034 individuals with PDR, 29,188 individuals with NPDR, 208,640 with DM2 without DR, and 447,054 without DM. In the matched analysis, compared to non-diabetics, all 3 diabetic groups (PDR, NPDR, and DM2 without DR) had a higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR: 1.583, p < .0001 PDR; 1.405, p < .0001 NPDR; 1.262, p < .0001 DM2 without DR), AD (HR: 1.175, P = .0419 PDR; 1.233, p < .0001 NPDR; 1.117, p < .0001 DM2 without DR), and VD (HR: 2.077, p < .0001 PDR; 1.917, p < .0001 NPDR; 1.384, p < .0001 DM2 without DR). Compared to participants with DM2 without DR, those with PDR and NPDR had higher risk for all-cause dementia (HR: 1.202, p < .0001 PDR; 1.113, p < .0001 NPDR) and VD (HR: 1.504, p < .0001 PDR; 1.322, p < .0001 NPDR), but not AD. When stratified by DR severity, PDR was associated with a higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR: 1.121, P = .0003 PDR) and VD (HR: 1.177, P = .0126 PDR), but not AD, compared to NPDR.
Conclusion:
Greater severity of DR is associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia and VD in individuals with DM2 without DR, whereas AD risk appears elevated only when compared to nondiabetic participants. These findings suggest that progressive DR reflect systemic microvascular injury that parallels cerebral small vessel disease. Routine ophthalmologic screening in patients with DM may provide an opportunity for early identification of individuals at higher risk of cognitive decline.
