A recent study highlights the relationship between the severity of diabetic retinopathy and the risk of heart failure for patients who also have chronic kidney disease.
The study results were recently published in Scientific Reports and involved 1,503 diabetic adults who had diabetic retinopathy (DR) and also had Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The severity of each participant's diabetic retinopathy was categorized into three groups ranging from mild to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). The severity of the diabetic retinopathy was then evaluated to see if it correlated with heart failure and the researchers then predicted the potential of future hospitalizations over a span of five years.
Results revealed that patients with severe diabetic retinopathy had more than twice the risk of having concurrent heart failure when compared to patients with mild or no diabetic retinopathy. Participants who did not have heart failure at the beginning of the study, but who had moderate-to-severe diabetic retinopathy, were found to be at a much greater risk of being hospitalized for heart failure during the follow-up period.
Researchers posit that diabetic retinopathy may act as a visual flag of hidden cardiovascular stress. Patients who are at an increased risk of heart failure could possibly be identified by using retinal imaging and allowing doctors to implement preventative care for patients.
