Decreased Retinal Ganglion Cell Layer Thickness in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes
Top Cited Papers
- 1 July 2010
- journal article
- retina
- Published by Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
- Vol. 51 (7), 3660-3665
- https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.09-5041
Abstract
Purpose.: To determine which retinal layers are most affected by diabetes and contribute to thinning of the inner retina and to investigate the relationship between retinal layer thickness (LT) and diabetes duration, diabetic retinopathy (DR) status, age, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and the sex of the individual, in patients with type 1 diabetes who have no or minimal DR. Methods.: Mean LT was calculated for the individual retinal layers after automated segmentation of spectral domain-optical coherence tomography scans of patients with diabetes and compared with that in control subjects. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between LT and HbA1c, age, sex, diabetes duration, and DR status. Results.: In patients with minimal DR, the mean ganglion cell layer (GCL) in the pericentral area was 5.1 μm thinner (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–9.1 μm), and in the peripheral macula, the mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) was 3.7 μm thinner (95% CI, 1.3–6.1 μm) than in the control subjects. There was a significant linear correlation (R = 0.53, P < 0.01) between GCL thickness and diabetes duration in the pooled group of patients. Multiple linear regression analysis (R = 0.62, P < 0.01) showed that DR status was the most important explanatory variable. Conclusions.: This study demonstrates GCL thinning in the pericentral area and corresponding loss of RNFL thickness in the peripheral macula in patients with type 1 diabetes and no or minimal DR compared with control subjects. These results support the concept that diabetes has an early neurodegenerative effect on the retina, which occurs even though the vascular component of DR is minimal.This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- Functional Brain Connectivity and Neurocognitive Functioning in Patients With Long-Standing Type 1 Diabetes With and Without Microvascular ComplicationsDiabetes, 2009
- Selective Loss of Inner Retinal Layer Thickness in Type 1 Diabetic Patients with Minimal Diabetic RetinopathyInvestigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2009
- ADOLESCENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETESRetina, 2009
- Early detection of macular changes in patients with diabetes using Rarebit Fovea Test and optical coherence tomographyBritish Journal of Ophthalmology, 2007
- Long-Term Effect of Diabetes and Its Treatment on Cognitive FunctionThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2007
- Decreased optical coherence tomography-measured pericentral retinal thickness in patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 with minimal diabetic retinopathyBritish Journal of Ophthalmology, 2007
- A multifocal electroretinogram model predicting the development of diabetic retinopathyProgress in Retinal and Eye Research, 2006
- The Ins2AkitaMouse as a Model of Early Retinal Complications in DiabetesInvestigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2005
- Death of Retinal Neurons in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic MiceInvestigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2004
- Expression of Apoptosis Markers in the Retinas of Human Subjects with DiabetesInvestigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2004