Photo Credit: Cesare Ferrari

Nailfold capillaroscopic changes may be a useful tool to help diagnose and monitor diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with T2D, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology & Research. The cross-sectional, observational study aimed to describe and quantify NFC changes using a handheld dermatoscope in 54 patients with T2D and DR. The researchers performed detailed NFC on all eight fingernails (excluding the thumb), recording abnormal capillary shapes using a semiquantitative score. Significant associations existed between varying degrees of DR and the total number of avascular areas/3 mm, abrogated/bushy capillaries/3 mm, number of fingers involved, and total NFC score (P<0.05). The number of avascular areas/3 mm, tortuous capillaries/3 mm, and abrogated/bushy capillaries/3 mm were significantly greater (P<0.05) in patients with advanced diabetic eye disease and diabetic macular edema (DME). All patients with advanced eye disease and DME showed abnormal NFC scores in any finger, excluding the thumb.