title: Retinal Capillary Rarefaction in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In diabetes mellitus type 2, capillary rarefaction plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of end-organ damage. We investigated retinal capillary density in patients with early disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study compares retinal capillary rarefaction determined by intercapillary distance (ICD) and capillary area (CapA), measured non-invasively and in vivo by scanning laser Doppler flowmetry, in 73 patients with type 2 diabetes, 55 healthy controls and 134 individuals with hypertension stage 1 or 2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In diabetic patients, ICD was greater (23.2±5.5 vs 20.2±4.2, p = 0.013) and CapA smaller (1592±595 vs 1821±652, p = 0.019) than in healthy controls after adjustment for differences in cardiovascular risk factors between the groups. Compared to hypertensive patients, diabetic individuals showed no difference in ICD (23.1±5.8, p = 0.781) and CapA (1556±649, p = 0.768).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the early stage of diabetes type 2, patients showed capillary rarefaction compared to healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany.|Department of Pathophysiology, University of Warmia and Mazury Olsztyn, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Harazny
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kistner
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Striepe
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany.
authors.forename: Roland E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2356-5883
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Schmieder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*