Evaluation of Choroidal Structures in Children with Newly Diagnosed Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to evaluate the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

METHODS

A total of 80 children (40 with T1DM and 40 healthy controls) were included in this cross-sectional study. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) images of all participants were analyzed. The SFCT, total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA), and CVI measurements were obtained from EDI-OCT images and compared between groups. The effects of HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, and axial length measurements on choroidal measurements were investigated.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the groups according to TCA (0.84 [0.57-1.26] vs. 0.88 [0.65-1.16] mm, p=0.745), LA (0.55 [0.41-0.79] vs. 0.59 [0.43-0.74] mm, p=0.745), SA (0.27 [0.15-0.47] vs. 0.28 [0.15-0.47] mm, p=0.935), and CVI (68.03 [66.5-70.5] vs. 67.75 [66.2-69.5] %, p=0.794), respectively. However, T1DM patients had thinner SFCT compared to control subjects (309.0 [327-489] and 398.5 [219-491], p<0.044). No correlation was found between HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, axial length measurements, and SFCT, TCA, LA, SA, or CVI.

CONCLUSION

Children with newly diagnosed T1DM have thinner SCFT in comparison to healthy children, however, no significant difference in CVI was observed between the groups. Long-term follow-up should be used to confirm the impact of the DM duration on CVI.