Relationship Of Retinal Vascular Caliber With Diabetes And Retinopathy:Handan Eye Study

Purpose:Retinal vascular caliber can be effected by systemic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.But a variety of population-based studies revealed different results on the changes of retinal vascular caliber.The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship of retinal vascular caliber with diabetes,glycemia,and diabetic retinopathy in a Chinese rural population.Methods:The Handan Eye Study(HES)is a population-based study,which comprising 6830 Han Chinese aged 30 years and older from 13 villages of Yongnian County,Handan city,Hebei province,China.Digital retinal photographs were taken of all participants and graded for the presence of retinopathy.Retinal vascular calibre was measured from photographs by a computer-assisted method.Results:There were 2897 individuals with normal fasting glucose(NFG),1923 with impaired fasting glucose(IFG),109 with diabetes accompanying retinopathy signs,and 218 with diabetes without retinopathy signs.After multivariate analysis,retinal arteriolar caliber increased from 157.6 μm in subjects with NFG to 153.9 μm in IFG and 153.7 μm in diabetes(P<0.001).Retinal venular caliber increased from 239.4μm in NFG to 236.3 μm in IFG and 242.1 p,m in diabetes(P<0.001).One SD increase in mean arteriolar calibre was associated with lower odds of diabetes compared with NFG(odds ratio[OR]=0.67,95%CI:0.52-0.86),and was associated with lower odds of having retinopathy in persons with diabetes(OR=0.46,95%CI:0.28-0.76).After multivariable adjustment,each SD increase in venular calibre was associated with higher odds ratio of diabetes compared with NFG(OR=1.38,95%CI:1.08-1.76),and was associated with higher odds ratio of having retinopathy in persons with diabetes(OR=2.02,95%CI:1.24-17.15).Conclusions:Retinal arteriolar calibers are smaller and retinal venular calibers are larger in individuals with diabetes,while retinopathy in persons with diabetes is also associated with smaller retinal arteriolar calibers and larger retinal venular calibre.These associations may reflect the underlying pathophysiological processes in the early diabetic microvascular damage.