Aims: We aimed to evaluate the association between diabetic microangiopathy and subclinical atherosclerosis as a marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Methods: A total of 142 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics who were free from CVD underwent evaluation of diabetic microangiopathy. Subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by measuring carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and the 10-year absolute risk of CVD was estimated using the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Risk Engine. Results: Subclinical atherosclerosis was found in 27 subjects (19.0%). The rates of hypertension and diabetic retinopathy were significantly higher among patients with subclinical atherosclerosis. The UKPDS 10-year risk for CVD was significantly increased in subjects with subclinical atherosclerosis. Old age, hypertension and the presence of diabetic retinopathy showed a significant association to subclinical atherosclerosis after further adjustments for gender, body mass index, smoking status, HbA1c, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and the presence of diabetic nephropathy. Conclusions: This study shows that diabetic retinopathy is an independent risk marker for subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. We suggest that a diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy may warrant a more careful cardiovascular assessment even in the early stages of diabetes. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
CITATION STYLE
Son, J. W., Jang, E. H., Kim, M. K., Kim, I. T., Roh, Y. J., Baek, K. H., … Kwon, H. S. (2011). Diabetic retinopathy is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 91(2), 253–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2010.11.005
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