Rosiglitazone associated with slower progression of diabetic retinopathy

Patients with diabetes who take rosiglitazone may be less likely to develop proliferative diabetic retinopathy, according to a recently published report.

Researchers from Jules Stein Eye Institute and others in the United States reviewed medical records of 124 patients treated with rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) and compared them with records of 158 patients with diabetes not treated with the thiazolidinedione. All received care at Joslin Diabetes Center between May 2002 and May 2003.

At baseline, severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy was present in 14 eyes of patients taking rosiglitazone (6.4%) and 24 eyes of patients in the control group (9.3%). After one year, 7.7% of patients taking rosiglitazone progressed to proliferative diabetic retinopathy compared with 29.2% of patients in the control group. After three years, the number of patients who progressed was even greater — 19.2% taking rosiglitazone vs. 47.4% in the control group. Thus, the researchers reported a 59.5% relative risk reduction among patients taking rosiglitazone.

In addition, 0.5% of the eyes of patients taking rosiglitazone experienced losses in visual acuity during three years of follow-up compared with 14.5% of eyes in the control group.

According to the researchers, rosiglitazone may delay progression of retinopathy and preserve vision by reducing the formation of angiogenesis. However, prescribing rosiglitazone to reduce ophthalmic complications is not advocated at this time, they said. Large-scale studies are needed to confirm this finding. – by Katie Kalvaitis

Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126:793-799.