Non-linear relationship between age and subfoveal choroidal thickness in Chinese patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

BACKGROUND

No study has investigated the change regularity between age and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

AIM

To investigate the relationship between the SFCT and age in Chinese patients with PDR.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional retrospective study. The participants were hospitalized individuals with type 2 diabetes who underwent vitrectomy for PDR. Con-tralateral eyes that met the criteria were included in the study. All necessary laboratory tests were performed at the time of admission. Central macular thickness (CMT) and SFCT were two quantitative assessments made using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. CMT was measured automatically and SFCT was measured manually with digital calipers provided by the Heidelberg Eye Explorer software.

RESULTS

The final analysis included a total of 234 individuals with PDR. The average age was 55.60 years old ± 10.03 years old, and 57.69% of the population was male. Univariate analysis revealed a significant negative connection between age and SFCT in patients with PDR [β = -2.44, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): -3.46 to -1.42; P < 0.0001]. In the fully adjusted model, the correlation between SFCT and age remained steady (β = -1.68, 95%CI: -2.97 to -0.39; P = 0.0117). Spline smoothing showed that the relationship between SFCT and age in patients with PDR was non-linear, with an inflection point at 54 years of age.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that age is a key determinant of choroidal thickness. The non-linear link between SFCT and age in PDR patients should be taken into account.

Keywords: Age; Subfoveal choroidal thickness; Proliferative diabetic retinopathy; Optical coherence tomography; Central macular thickness

Core Tip: In the present study, the average subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) was inversely correlated with age, and a reduction of 1.68 μm in SFCT per year was observed. Additionally, there was a progressively increasing trend in SFCT of 2.00 μm per year before the age of 54 years and a negative correlation of 4.89 μm per year after the age of 54 years; therefore, age around 54 years might be an important turning point. This is the first study to reveal a relationship between age and SFCT in patients with PDR.