Statin therapy is associated with decreased risk for retinopathy in those with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia, according to a retrospective study in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. Studies have suggested that statins may reduce the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.
Using a Taiwanese health insurance database, researchers matched nearly 19,000 adults with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia who were prescribed statins to 19,000 who did not receive lipid-lowering therapy. During roughly 7.5 years’ follow-up, diabetic retinopathy was diagnosed significantly less often in the statin versus non-statin group (10.6% vs. 12.0%). Significant risk reductions were observed for both proliferative and nonproliferative retinopathy, as well as macular edema. Vision-threatening retinopathy requiring surgery was also less common in the statin group.
These results suggest that statins are associated with a decreased prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and may decrease the progression of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia.
Read the article here.
Source: NEJM Journal Watch & JAMA Ophthalmology
