Skip to main content
The British Journal of Ophthalmology logoLink to The British Journal of Ophthalmology
. 1991 Aug;75(8):462–465. doi: 10.1136/bjo.75.8.462

Retinal circulation times in diabetes mellitus type 1.

B Bertram 1, S Wolf 1, S Fiehöfer 1, K Schulte 1, O Arend 1, M Reim 1
PMCID: PMC1042431  PMID: 1873263

Abstract

Video fluorescein angiography was performed in 124 patients between 18 and 65 years of age (mean 35.0, SD 12.3 years) with juvenile-onset, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type 1). The arm-retina time (ART) and the retinal arteriovenous passage time (AVP) were measured by means of a picture analysis system to quantify the retinal microcirculation. Glucose metabolism was assessed by the blood level of haemoglobin A1c. The ART 11.5, SD 3.4 s) was similar to that in normal persons (11.2, SD 3.3 s), while the AVP was significantly longer in the diabetics (AVP = 2.35, SD 0.87 s) than in normal persons (AVP = 1.45, SD 0.40 s). The patients with severe diabetic retinopathy showed the most impressive change in AVP. The diabetics with good glycaemic control, that is, with glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) less than or equal to 8.0 g/dl, had a shorter AVP than patients with bad glycaemic control (HbA1c greater than or equal to 9.5 g/dl). The group with a history of diabetes for less than five years showed circulation parameters similar to those of normal persons. The AVP in this group was significantly shorter than in groups with a history of diabetes for five or more years.

Full text

PDF
462

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Agardh C. D., Agardh E., Bauer B. Platelet aggregation in type I diabetics with and without proliferative retinopathy. Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh) 1987 Jun;65(3):358–362. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.1987.tb08519.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bertram B., Wolf S., Elbers M., Jussen W., Jung F., Reim M. Untersuchung retinaler Kreislaufzeiten bei Patienten mit Diabetes mellitus Typ II. Fortschr Ophthalmol. 1988;85(4):413–415. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blair N. P., Feke G. T., Morales-Stoppello J., Riva C. E., Goger D. G., Collas G., McMeel J. W. Prolongation of the retinal mean circulation time in diabetes. Arch Ophthalmol. 1982 May;100(5):764–768. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1982.01030030768009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cunha-Vaz J. G., Fonseca J. R., de Abreu J. R., Lima J. J. Studies on retinal blood flow. II. Diabetic retinopathy. Arch Ophthalmol. 1978 May;96(5):809–811. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1978.03910050415001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DITZEL J., SAGILD U. Morphologic and hemodynamic changes in the smaller blood vessels in diabetes mellitus. II. The degenerative and hemodynamic changes in the bulbar conjunctiva of normotensive diabetic patients. N Engl J Med. 1954 Apr 8;250(14):587–594. doi: 10.1056/NEJM195404082501401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Davies E. G., Hyer S. L., Kohner E. M. Macular blood flow response to acute reduction of plasma glucose in diabetic patients measured by the blue light entoptic technique. Ophthalmology. 1990 Feb;97(2):160–164. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(90)32610-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fagrell B., Hermansson I. L., Karlander S. G., Ostergren J. Vital capillary microscopy for assessment of skin viability and microangiopathy in patients with diabetes mellitus. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1984;687:25–28. doi: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1984.tb08736.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fallon T. J., Maxwell D. L., Kohner E. M. Autoregulation of retinal blood flow in diabetic retinopathy measured by the blue-light entoptic technique. Ophthalmology. 1987 Nov;94(11):1410–1415. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(87)33271-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fallon T. J., Sleightholm M. A., Merrick C., Chahal P., Kohner E. M. The effect of acute hyperglycemia on flow velocity in the macular capillaries. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1987 Jun;28(6):1027–1030. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ferrer O. Retinal circulation times. Studies by means of fluorescein rapid sequence photography. Ophthalmologica. 1969;157(2):89–103. doi: 10.1159/000305632. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Grunwald J. E., Riva C. E., Martin D. B., Quint A. R., Epstein P. A. Effect of an insulin-induced decrease in blood glucose on the human diabetic retinal circulation. Ophthalmology. 1987 Dec;94(12):1614–1620. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(87)33257-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Grunwald J. E., Riva C. E., Sinclair S. H., Brucker A. J., Petrig B. L. Laser Doppler velocimetry study of retinal circulation in diabetes mellitus. Arch Ophthalmol. 1986 Jul;104(7):991–996. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1986.01050190049038. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Koerner F., Fries K., Niesel P., Dubied P. Zur Interpretation der retinalen Kreislaufzeiten bei der diabetischen Retinopathie vor und nach Photokoagulation. Klin Monbl Augenheilkd. 1978 Apr;172(4):440–444. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kohner E. M., Hamilton A. M., Saunders S. J., Sutcliffe B. A., Bulpitt C. J. The retinal blood flow in diabetes. Diabetologia. 1975 Feb;11(1):27–33. doi: 10.1007/BF00422814. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Laube H. Hat sich die Bestimmung von Hb-A1 in der Diabeteskontrolle bewährt? Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1985 May 24;110(21):823–825. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1068911. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lowe G. D., Ghafour I. M., Belch J. J., Forbes C. D., Foulds W. S., MacCuish A. C. Increased blood viscosity in diabetic proliferative retinopathy. Diabetes Res. 1986 Feb;3(2):67–70. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Oswald B., Vilser W., Oswald H., Jütte A., Königsdörffer E., Schweitzer D. Messung strömungsphysiologischer Grössen der Netzhautzirkulation bei Diabetikern Typ 1 und 2. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 1983;220(1):42–46. doi: 10.1007/BF02307015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Porta M., Hilgard P., Kohner E. M. Platelet shape change abnormalities in diabetic retinopathy. Diabetologia. 1980 Mar;18(3):217–221. doi: 10.1007/BF00251919. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rimmer T., Fallon T. J., Kohner E. M. Long-term follow-up of retinal blood flow in diabetes using the blue light entoptic phenomenon. Br J Ophthalmol. 1989 Jan;73(1):1–5. doi: 10.1136/bjo.73.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rimmer T., Fleming J., Kohner E. M. Hypoxic viscosity and diabetic retinopathy. Br J Ophthalmol. 1990 Jul;74(7):400–404. doi: 10.1136/bjo.74.7.400. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Schmid-Schönbein H., Volger E. Red-cell aggregation and red-cell deformability in diabetes. Diabetes. 1976;25(2 Suppl):897–902. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Soeldner J. S., Christacopoulos P. S., Gleason R. E. Mean retinal circulation time as determined by fluorescein angiography in normal, prediabetic, and chemical-diabetic subjects. Diabetes. 1976;25(2 Suppl):903–908. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Tillmann W., Lakomek M., Heidemann P., Behrens-Baumann W., Schröter W. Aggregate formation of erythrocytes and diabetic retinopathy in children, adolescents, and adults with diabetes mellitus (type I). Klin Wochenschr. 1984 Dec 3;62(23):1136–1139. doi: 10.1007/BF01782472. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Wolf S., Jung F., Kiesewetter H., Körber N., Reim M. Video fluorescein angiography: method and clinical application. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 1989;227(2):145–151. doi: 10.1007/BF02169788. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Yoshida A., Feke G. T., Morales-Stoppello J., Collas G. D., Goger D. G., McMeel J. W. Retinal blood flow alterations during progression of diabetic retinopathy. Arch Ophthalmol. 1983 Feb;101(2):225–227. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1983.01040010227008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The British Journal of Ophthalmology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES