Patients with both diabetic retinopathy (DR) and hypertension demonstrated notably thinner peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cellinner plexiform layer thicknesses compared with those with DR alone, according to findings published in Acta Diabetologica. Researchers conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to investigate the effect of hypertension (HTN) on inner retinal layer thickness in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Researchers divided patients into three groups—type 2 diabetes without DR; DR; and both DR and HTN—and compared peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thicknesses using optical coherence tomography. A total of 470 eyes were studied. Researchers found significantly thinner pRNFL and GC-IPL in the DR+HTN group compared with the other groups (P<0.001). A multivariate analysis showed a significant link between DR stage and pRNFL (P=0.014) and GC-IPL (P=0.001) thicknesses in the DR+HTN group. Subgroup analysis indicated a significant decrease in pRNFL (P=0.007) and GC-IPL (P=0.005) thicknesses as DR progressed only in the DR+HTN group. The findings suggest a compounded effect of HTN and DR on inner retinal damage.
