PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - T Nagaoka
AU  - N Kitaya
AU  - R Sugawara
AU  - H Yokota
AU  - F Mori
AU  - T Hikichi
AU  - N Fujio
AU  - A Yoshida
TI  - Alteration of choroidal circulation in the foveal region in patients with type 2 diabetes
AID  - 10.1136/bjo.2003.035345
DP  - 2004 Aug 01
TA  - British Journal of Ophthalmology
PG  - 1060--1063
VI  - 88
IP  - 8
4099  - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/88/8/1060.short
4100  - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/88/8/1060.full
SO  - Br J Ophthalmol2004 Aug 01; 88
AB  - Aim: To investigate changes in choroidal blood flow (CBF) in the foveal region in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Laser Doppler flowmetry was used to determine the CBF in the foveal region in 70 patients with type 2 diabetes and 36 age and sex matched healthy subjects (control group). The patients were classified into three groups: 33 patients (33 eyes) with no diabetic retinopathy (NDR), 20 patients (20 eyes) with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and no macular oedema (NPDR/MO−), and 17 patients (17 eyes) with NPDR and MO (NPDR/MO+). Optical coherence tomography was also used to measure the foveal thickness. Results: The group averaged CBF values were 13.5 (4.9), 9.4 (2.5), 10.8 (4.8), and 5.6 (2.0) (arbitrary units) in the control, NDR, NPDR/MO−, and NPDR/MO+ groups, respectively. The group averaged CBF values in the NDR group decreased (30.2%; p<0.01) compared with the control group. The average CBF value in the NPDR/MO+ group was also significantly lower (48.2%; p<0.01) compared with that in the NPDR/MO− group. Conclusion: The CBF in the foveal region significantly decreases in patients with diabetes, especially those with macular oedema.