Title | Retinal arteriolar narrowing and risk of diabetes mellitus in middle-aged persons. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2002 |
Authors | Wong T Y, Klein R, A Sharrett R, Schmidt MI, Pankow JS, Couper DJ, Klein BEK, Hubbard LD, Duncan BB |
Corporate Authors | ARIC Investigators |
Journal | JAMA |
Volume | 287 |
Issue | 19 |
Pagination | 2528-33 |
Date Published | 2002 May 15 |
ISSN | 0098-7484 |
Keywords | Aged, Aging, Diabetes Mellitus, Female, Humans, Hypertension, Inflammation, Logistic Models, Male, Microcirculation, Middle Aged, Photography, Prospective Studies, Retinal Artery Occlusion, Retinal Vessels, Risk Factors |
Abstract | CONTEXT: Microvascular processes have been hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, but prospective clinical data regarding this hypothesis are unavailable. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation of retinal arteriolar narrowing, a marker of microvascular damage from aging, hypertension, and inflammation, to incident diabetes in healthy middle-aged persons. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, an ongoing population-based, prospective cohort study in 4 US communities that began in 1987-1989. Included in this analysis were 7993 persons aged 49 to 73 years without diabetes, of whom retinal photographs were taken during the third examination (1993-1995). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incident diabetes (defined as fasting glucose levels of > or =126 mg/dL [7.0 mmol/L], casual levels of > or =200 mg/dL [11.1 mmol/L], diabetic medications use, or physician diagnosis of diabetes at the fourth examination) by quartile of retinal arteriole-to-venule ratio (AVR). RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 3.5 years, 291 persons (3.6%) had incident diabetes. The incidence of diabetes was higher in persons with lower AVR at baseline (2.4%, 3.1%, 4.0%, and 5.2%, from highest to lowest AVR quartile; P for trend or =141 mg/dL [7.8 mmol/L] as a cutoff), and was seen even in people at lower risk of diabetes, including those without a family history of diabetes, without impaired fasting glucose, and with lower measures of adiposity. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal arteriolar narrowing is independently associated with risk of diabetes, supporting a microvascular role in the development of clinical diabetes. |
DOI | 10.1001/jama.287.19.2528 |
Alternate Journal | JAMA |
PubMed ID | 12020333 |
Grant List | N01-HC-35125 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55015 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55016 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55018 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55019 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55020 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55022 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N1-HC-55021 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States NN01-HC-35126 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States |