Quantitative Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) Parameters in a Black Diabetic Population and Correlations with Systemic Diseases

Abstract

This is a cross-sectional, prospective study of a population of black diabetic participants without diabetic retinopathy aimed to investigate optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) characteristics and correlations with systemic diseases in this population. These parameters could serve as novel biomarkers for microvascular complications; especially in black populations which are more vulnerable to diabetic microvascular complications. Linear mixed models were used to obtain OCTA mean values ± standard deviation and analyze statistical correlations to systemic diseases. Variables showing significance on univariate mixed model analysis were further analyzed with multivariate mixed models. 92 eyes of 52 black adult subjects were included. After multivariate analysis; signal strength intensity (SSI) and heart disease had statistical correlations to superficial capillary plexus vessel density in our population. SSI and smoking status had statistical correlations to deep capillary plexus vessel density in a univariate analysis that persisted in part of the imaging subset in a multivariate analysis. Hyperlipidemia; hypertension; smoking status and pack-years; diabetes duration; creatinine; glomerular filtration rate; total cholesterol; hemoglobin A1C; and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were not significantly associated with any OCTA measurement in multivariate analysis. Our findings suggest that OCTA measures may serve as valuable biomarkers to track systemic vascular functioning in diabetes mellitus in black patients.

OCTA Derived Vessel Skeleton Density Versus Flux and Their Associations With Systemic Determinants of Health

“… 31 , 33 – 35 For other parameters such as smoking history, we did not find a correlation consistent with previous studies. 31 , 34 , 36 This suggests that our data are in agreement with the literature at large and that our significant findings are those with a higher effect size.…”

Ocular complications of diabetes mellitus in a pediatric population and proposals for screening and follow-up programs

“…Only a few studies in the literature correlate systemic parameters with OCT parameters in diabetic patients, and as far as we know, none in children. Shaw et al 58 investigated possible correlations between diabetes complications and OCTA parameters in a black adult population and, similarly to how our study, found that only heart disease had statistical correlations to SCP vessel density, while all other parameters, including proteinuria, were not significantly associated with any OCTA measurement in multi-variate analysis. The authors concluded that OCTA measures may serve as valuable biomarkers of systemic vascular functioning in DM and guide the physician to refer patients for closer monitoring of other systemic diseases.…”

Retinal Findings and Cardiovascular Risk: Prognostic Conditions, Novel Biomarkers, and Emerging Image Analysis Techniques

“…Indeed, these OCTA imaging biomarkers may hold predictive potential for CVD diagnosis and risk in diabetics. One prospective study of Black patients with diabetes found that heart disease, defined as prior diagnosis of heart failure, coronary artery disease, or myocardial infarction, significantly correlated with deep capillary plexus vessel density after multivariate analysis [106]. This provides further evidence in favor of this emerging, though nonspecific, imaging biomarker as reflective of general cardiovascular health.…”