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Statins

Statins May Help Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy

Statin therapy may be oculo-protective in patients with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia, new research suggests.

 

A recent study of 37,894 Taiwanese adults with both type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia found that statin use was associated with lower rates of diabetic retinopathy—the number-one cause of blindness in working adults and a leading microvascular complication of diabetes—compared with non-use (hazard ratio [HR] 0.86).

 

Of the 18,947 patients in each group, 2004 statin users went on to develop diabetic retinopathy compared with 2269 non-users (10.6% vs 12.0%).

 

In particular, compared with the non-statin group, patients using statins experienced lower rates of:

 

  • Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (HR 0.92)
  • Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (HR 0.64)
  • Vitreous hemorrhage (HR 0.62)
  • Tractional retinal detachment (HR 0.61)
  • Macular edema (HR 0.60)

 

Statin use was also associated with lower rates and smaller numbers of:

 

  • Retinal laser treatment (HR 0.71; rate ratio 0.61)
  • Intravitreal injection (HR 0.74; rate ratio: 0.68)
  • Vitrectomy (HR 0.58; rate ratio 0.54)

 

The risks of major adverse cardiovascular events, new-onset diabetic neuropathy, and new-onset diabetic foot ulcers were also found to be reduced in statin users vs non-users (HR 0.81, 0.85, and 0.73, respectively.

 

These findings were published in JAMA Ophtalmology.

 

—Christina Vogt

 

Reference:

Kang EYC, Chen TH, Garg SJ, et al. Association of statin therapy with prevention of vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy [Published online January 10, 2019]. JAMA Ophthalmol. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2018.6399.