Retinal Vascular Caliber and Depression in Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Purpose: : To describe the association of retinal vascular caliber with depression in type 2 diabetes

Methods: : Our study sample comprised cases of participants with type 2 diabetes with major depression (n=34), without depression (n=27) and healthy, non–diabetic controls (n=38). All participants had standardized retinal photographs taken. Retinal vascular caliber were measured from these photographs using a computer–assisted method, and summarized as average central retinal arteriolar and venular caliber equivalent. Depression status was determined using standardized clinical assessment.

Results: : After adjusting for age and gender, diabetic participants with depression had larger arteriolar and venular caliber (145.8µm for arteriolar and 210.9µm for venular caliber, respectively) than diabetic participants without depression (139.5µm 205.8µm) and healthy controls (132.8µm and 196.2µm, p=0.008 for arteriolar and p=0.03 for venular caliber, using ANOVA), although arteriolar and venular caliber were not significantly different between diabetic participants with and without depression (p=0.21 for arteriolar and p=0.44 for venular caliber). After adjusting for the duration of diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin and other vascular risk factors, there were no significant differences in retinal vascular calibers amongst the three groups (p=0.48 for arteriolar and p=0.60 for venular caliber)

Conclusions: : These data suggest that retinal vascular caliber is larger in diabetic patients with major depression as compared to diabetic patients without depression and non–diabetic controls. The variations in retinal vessel caliber are largely related to poorer diabetes control in diabetic patients with depression.

Keywords: diabetic retinopathy • retina • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment