Diabetes associated with larger retinal arteriolar calibre and retinopathy with larger retinal venular calibre
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The study was conducted to examine the relationship of retinal vascular calibre with glucose intolerance, diabetes and retinopathy in a population-based cohort – the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study – recruiting adults aged ≥25 years from across Australia. Participants were classified using an oral glucose tolerance test as having normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), known diabetes or newly diagnosed diabetes. Retinopathy signs and retinal vascular calibre were graded from retinal photographs following standardized protocols. Among the 1998 participants with gradable retinal images, 16% had known diabetes, 17% newly diagnosed diabetes, 42% IGT, 6% IFG and 19% NGT. Retinal arteriolar calibre was significantly larger in subjects with know diabetes compared to subjects with NGT, IGT/IFG or newly diagnosed diabetes. One SD increase in mean arteriolar calibre was associated with higher odds of diabetes compared with NGT. Each SD increase in venular calibre was associated with higher odds of having retinopathy in subjects with IGT/IFG or in subjects with diabetes. Persons with known diabetes were more likely to have larger arteriolar calibre than those with newly diagnosed diabetes, IGT or NGT. Larger retinal venular calibre, while not associated with diabetes status, was associated with the presence of retinopathy, both in IGT/IFG and in diabetes.
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