Microvascular Diabetic Complications Flashcards
What are the sites for microvascular complications?
- Retinal arteries
- Renal glomerular arterioles
- Vasa nervorum - tiny blood vessels that supply nerve
Is there a risk between rising HbA1c and risk of developing microvascular complications?
Extent of hyperglycaemia (as judged by HbA1c) is strongly associated with the risk of developing microvascular complications - line gets steeper, and still always risk of complications
Is there a risk between rising systolic BP and risk of developing microvascular complications and MI?
Clear relationship between rising systolic BP and risk of MI and microvascular complications in people with T2DM and T1DM
What do you need to reduce to prevent complications?
BP and HbA1c
What are other factors related to the development of microvascular complications?
- Severity of hyperglycaemia
- Hypertension
- Genetic factors – some people develop complications despite reasonable control
- Hyperglycaemic memory – inadequate glucose control early on can result in higher risk of complications LATER, even if HbA1c improved
- Duration? Glucose variability?
What is diabetic retinopathy?
main cause of visual loss in people with diabetes and the main cause of blindness in people of working age
Why do you need to screen for diabetic retinopathy?
- early stages of retinopathy are all asymptomatic
- screening is needed to detect retinopathy at a stage at which it can be treated before it causes visual disturbance / loss
What happens if there is advanced retinopathy?
referred to a specialist for treatment and may be seen more frequently
What are the stages of retinopathy?
- Background retinopathy
- Pre-proliferative retinopathy
- Proliferative retinopathy
- Also maculopathy, which can occur at any stage of retinopathy
What is background retinopathy?
- Hard exudates (cheese colour, lipid)
- Microaneurysms (“dots”)
- Blot haemorrhages
What is pre-proliferative retinopathy?
- Cotton wool spots also called soft exudates (not as crisp as hard exudates)
- Represent retinal ischaemia
What is proliferative retinopathy?
- Visible new vessels
2. On disc or elsewhere in retina
What is maculopathy?
- Hard exudates near the macula
- Same disease as background, but happens to be near macula
- This can threaten direct vision
What is the treatment of background retinopathy?
- Improve HbA1c
- Good BP control
- Continued annual surveillance
- Feedback to person living with diabetes
What is the treatment of pre-proliferative retinopathy?
- Improve HbA1c
- Good BP control
- If left alone will progress to new vessel growth
- S early pan retinal photocoagulation (burns vessels off to stop new vessel forming)
What is the treatment of proliferative retinotherapy?
- Improve HbA1c
- Good BP control
- Panretinal photocoagulation
How do you treat diabetic maculopathy?
- Improve HbA1c
- Good BP control
- Odema: Anti-VEGF injections
- Grid photocoagulation. (burns vessels off to stop new vessel forming - more localised than pan)
What is diabetic nephropathy characterised by?
- Hypertension
- Progressively increasing proteinuria
- Progressively deteriorating kidney function
- Classic histological features