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Endocrine Abstracts (2022) 81 EP461 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.81.EP461

1Hospital Charles Nicolle, Endocrinology, Tunis, Tunisia; 2Hospital Charles Nicolle, Cardiology, Tunis, Tunisia


Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a serious complication of diabetes that affects 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes. It represents the first cause of blindness. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between diabetic retinopathy and arterial stiffness.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study including 249 diabetic patients without macroangipathic complications, between July 2020 and May 2021. Using a SphygmoCor®XCEL device, we measured arterial stiffness directly by the carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV).

Results: The mean age of the study population was 57.53 ± 9.34 years (139 women and 110 men). The mean duration of the disease was 10.2 years. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) was found in 24.1% of the patients. Among them 26.7% had proliferative DR. CfPWV > 10 m/s was found in 95% of the patients with DR. In this group, cfPWV was at 15.34 ± 2.94 m/s VS 13.10 ± 2.56 m/s in patients without diabetic retinopathy (P <0.001). Moreover, in patients with DR, we did not find a correlation between cfPWV and the stage of the retinopathy (P = 0.108).

Conclusion: Arterial stiffness is often increased in type 2 diabetes. And It is more increased in the presence of retinopathy. Microvascular disorders of the retina including DR were associated with cardiovascular disease, highlighting the relationship between microvascular abnormalities and atherosclerosis specifically and arterial stiffness overall.

Volume 81

European Congress of Endocrinology 2022

Milan, Italy
21 May 2022 - 24 May 2022

European Society of Endocrinology 

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