Purpose: To evaluate associations of body fluid status with optical coherence tomography measurements in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR).
Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study enrolled a total of 104 eyes from 104 patients with diabetes mellitus for fundus evaluations of DR and optical coherence tomography examinations. DR severity was graded via fundus photography. Systemic body fluid status was recorded via a body composition monitor with output values of total body water, extracellular water (ECW), intracellular water, and overhydration (OH). Relative overhydration (ROH) was defined as OH/ECW. Volume overload was defined as ROH ≥7%. Correlations of central subfield thickness (CST) with body fluid status were analyzed by partial correlation with adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with diabetic macular edema (DME).
Results: Higher levels of ECW, OH, and ROH were correlated with thick CST in patients with DR (P = 0.006, 0.021, and 0.008, respectively), but not in those without any DR (all P > 0.05), after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI. Patients with DME (n = 31) had higher OH than DR patients without DME (n = 28) or those without any DR (n = 45) (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively). Multiple regression model showed that volume overload was the independent factor for the presence of DME (odds ratio, 9.532; 95% confidence interval, 2.898-31.348; P < 0.001).
Conclusions: While both ECW and OH reflect CST in patients with DR, overhydration had particularly strong associations with DME. This study provides a novel insight into our current understanding regarding the pathogenesis for DME.