Retinopathy in patients with diabetic ophthalmoplegia.
OBJECTIVE
To compare patients with palsy of the 3rd, 4th or 6th cranial nerve due to diabetes mellitus (DM) with controls matched for age, sex and disease duration in terms of the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy.


METHODS
Thirty-three diabetic patients with cranial nerve palsies and 33 age- and sex-matched controls with the same duration of disease were included in this case-control study. Groups were evaluated in terms of the type of DM, presence and level of diabetic retinopathy and coexisting systemic diseases. Outcomes were compared by chi(2) and paired-sample tests.


RESULTS
Eleven patients had diabetic retinopathy in the study group. In the control group, 23 patients had diabetic retinopathy. Differences in the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy between the two groups were found to be statistically significant (p = 0.028 and p = 0.018, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Presence and level of diabetic retinopathy are significantly lower in diabetics with cranial nerve palsy than in the age-, sex- and disease-duration-matched controls.
Acaroglu
Golge
G
Department of Neuroophthalmology, Ministry of Health Ulucanlar Eye Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. golgetilki@yahoo.com
Akinci
Arsen
A
Zilelioglu
Orhan
O
D020434:Abducens Nerve Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004172:Diplopia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015840:Oculomotor Nerve Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D009886:Ophthalmoplegia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020432:Trochlear Nerve Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology