Alteration of choroidal circulation in the foveal region in patients with type 2 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate changes in choroidal blood flow (CBF) in the foveal region in patients with type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
Laser Doppler flowmetry was used to determine the CBF in the foveal region in 70 patients with type 2 diabetes and 36 age and sex matched healthy subjects (control group). The patients were classified into three groups: 33 patients (33 eyes) with no diabetic retinopathy (NDR), 20 patients (20 eyes) with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and no macular oedema (NPDR/MO-), and 17 patients (17 eyes) with NPDR and MO (NPDR/MO+). Optical coherence tomography was also used to measure the foveal thickness.


RESULTS
The group averaged CBF values were 13.5 (4.9), 9.4 (2.5), 10.8 (4.8), and 5.6 (2.0) (arbitrary units) in the control, NDR, NPDR/MO-, and NPDR/MO+ groups, respectively. The group averaged CBF values in the NDR group decreased (30.2%; p<0.01) compared with the control group. The average CBF value in the NPDR/MO+ group was also significantly lower (48.2%; p<0.01) compared with that in the NPDR/MO- group.


CONCLUSIONS
The CBF in the foveal region significantly decreases in patients with diabetes, especially those with macular oedema.
Nagaoka
T
T
Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical College, Midorigaoka Higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan. nagaoka@asahikawa-med.ac.jp
Kitaya
N
N
Sugawara
R
R
Yokota
H
H
Mori
F
F
Hikichi
T
T
Fujio
N
N
Yoshida
A
A
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry / Q000379:methods; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology