Propensity for Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients and Likelihood of Developing Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Mohammed, Mai Mamdouh Ali; Lamie, Nashwa Mohammed; El-Deen, Asmaa Mohammed Gamal; Fathy, Seham Abdallah

doi:https://doi.org/10.21608/aimj.2025.446675

Propensity for Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients and Likelihood of Developing Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Ophthalmology department at Ahmed Maher Teaching Hospital, Cairo, Egypt

² Ophthalmology department, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

³ Rheumatology and Rehabilitation department, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

https://doi.org/10.21608/aimj.2025.446675

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects microvasculature, resulting in neuropathy and retinopathy.
Aim: Evaluating the correlation between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in individuals with type 2 DM (T2DM).
Patients and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study including 60 eyes of T2DM patients aged ≥35 years old, categorized according to International clinical diabetic retinopathy severity scale into five groups: [No DR, mild nonproliferative DR (NPDR), moderate NPDR, severe NPDR, and proliferative DR (PDR)]. Modified neuropathy disability score and Baba's diabetic neuropathy classification were used as DPN scoring methods. Thorough clinical ophthalmic and lower limb neurological examinations were done. All patients underwent optical coherence tomography imaging and electrophysiological nerve conduction study. HbA1c, lipid profile, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure were assessed for the participants.
Results: Of the 60 participants with T2DM, DPN occurred 20% more frequently than DR. DPN and DR are significantly interrelated (P=0.005), which suggests patients affected by DPN are more susceptible to develop DR. Duration of DM had a significant influence on the prevalence of DR and DPN, with P<0.001 and 0.024, respectively. The occurrence of both DR and DPN increased with the increase of HbA1c% and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.
Conclusions: DR is more frequently observed in DPN patients than in non-DPN individuals. The severity of DR is strongly correlated to the severity of DPN (P<0.001), which suggests that with the increase in DR severity, we can expect a similar increase in DPN severity.

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