Rapid control of blood sugar leads to initial increase in diabetic retinopathy
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Intensive blood sugar control in patients with diabetes may lead to an increased initial rate of diabetic retinopathy over a 90-day period.
“Though small in size, our study confirmed the results of previous larger studies showing that intensive glycemic control initially worsens DR before improvement is observed,” Manuel F. Colon, a medical student at Temple University, Philadelphia, said at the virtual Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.
Nine of the initially selected 21 patients with diabetes completed the study. The mean age of the patients was 50 years. Fundoscopic imaging was used to assess retinal changes, and HbA1c levels were measured at baseline and then monthly for 3 consecutive months.
Mean HbA1c showed a modest decline over the study period, from 9.6% at the initial visit to 9.2% at month 1 and 8.7% between month 2 and 3. At baseline, 11.1% of patients had fundoscopic signs of DR, increasing to 33.3% at 1 month and then decreasing to 22.2% at months 2 and 3.
“At month 1, with a modest decrease in HbA1c results, there seemed to be an increase in patients with DR. The remaining 2 months saw a slight decrease in the HbA1c results as well as a decrease in the proportion of patients with DR,” Colon said.
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Colon MF, et al. 90-day assessment of diabetic retinopathy with rapid correction of hyperglycemia. Presented at: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting; June 12, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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