Diabetic Retinopathy May Predict All-Cause Mortality, Cardiovascular Disease In Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes.

MedWire (5/6, Albert) reported that, according to a meta-analysis published April 27 in the journal Diabetes Care, "diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a predictor for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes." The meta-analysis, which encompassed 20 studies including 19,234 participants, found that, "compared with patients with type 2 diabetes and no DR, those with any degree of DR had a significant 2.34-fold increased risk for the combined endpoint of all-cause mortality and/or CVD (myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary artery bypass graft, ischemic changes on electrocardiography, stroke, or lower leg amputation)."