The Relationship of Serum Diabetes Antibodies With the Development of Early Diabetic Retinopathy Findings in Children With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

PURPOSE: To explore how serum diabetes autoantibodies are related to the development of early diabetic retinopathy in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

In this prospective and observational study, 62 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus who had not yet developed clinical diabetic retinopathy were followed up for at least 5 years. Healthy volunteers aged 10 to 20 years were also included. Insulin, pancreatic islet cells, and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) autoantibodies were measured with an RIA kit at the time of type 1 diabetes mellitus diagnosis. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was used to evaluate the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and parafoveal vascular density (PVD) for the development of early diabetic retinopathy among the groups. Patients' OCTA findings were compared with those of healthy volunteers. The obtained data were analyzed via IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 27.0. Spearman's rank correlation test and regression analysis were performed to determine independent predictors of OCTA and type 1 diabetes mellitus parameters.

RESULTS

Eighteen boys and 44 girls with type 1 diabetes mellitus with a median age of 15.6 years (range: 10.08 to 20.88 years) were evaluated. Healthy control participants with a median age of 15.3 years (range: 14.2 to 18.2 years) were also included. The mean FAZ was greater in the type 1 diabetes mellitus group than in the healthy control group (P = .013 and .119, respectively). The mean PVD was significantly lower in the type 1 diabetes mellitus group than in the healthy control group. There was no significant correlation between serum diabetes autoantibodies (GAD and insulin autoantibodies) and FAZ or PVD (FAZ and GAD; r = 0.138, P = .286, FAZ and anti-insulin; r = 0.100, P = .441, PVD and GAD; r = -0.151, P = .24, PVD and anti-insulin; r = -0.087, P = .499).

CONCLUSIONS

Type 1 diabetes mellitus in children without clinically detectable diabetic retinopathy is associated with impaired retinal microcirculation and irregularities at the FAZ margin. Impaired retinal microcirculation and irregularities were associated with glycated hemoglobin levels in the study group. Thus, studies with larger patient series are needed. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2025;62(2):135-142.].