Data from: Retinal capillary rarefaction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Purpose: In diabetes mellitus type 2, capillary rarefaction plays a
pivotal role in the pathogenesis of end-organ damage. We investigated
retinal capillary density in patients with early disease. Methods: This
cross-sectional study compares retinal capillary rarefaction determined by
intercapillary distance (ICD) and capillary area (CapA), measured
non-invasively and in vivo by scanning laser Doppler flowmetry, in 73
patients with type 2 diabetes, 55 healthy controls and 134 individuals
with hypertension stage 1 or 2. Results: In diabetic patients, ICD was
greater (23.2±5.5 vs 20.2±4.2, p = 0.013) and CapA smaller (1592±595 vs
1821±652, p = 0.019) than in healthy controls after adjustment for
differences in cardiovascular risk factors between the groups. Compared to
hypertensive patients, diabetic individuals showed no difference in ICD
(23.1±5.8, p = 0.781) and CapA (1556±649, p = 0.768). Conclusion: In the
early stage of diabetes type 2, patients showed capillary rarefaction
compared to healthy individuals.