Resting heart rate is associated with nonproliferative retinopathy in normoalbuminuric type 1 diabetic patients.

Previous studies have reported that retinopathy might be already present in the normoalbuminuric state in type 1 diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of nonproliferative retinopathy in normoalbuminuric type 1 diabetic patients. The study included 312 normoalbuminuric type 1 diabetic patients with normal renal function before any interventions with statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, or angiotensin II receptor blockers. Diagnosis of nonproliferative retinopathy was made by fundoscopy after pupillary dilatation. Urinary albumin excretion (UAE) rate was measured from at least two 24-hour urine samples. Nonproliferative retinopathy was present in 36% of normoalbuminuric patients. Patients with nonproliferative retinopathy were older and had longer duration of diabetes, higher hemoglobin A1c , daily insulin dose, and higher resting heart rate (RHR) (P≤.01 for all). Patients in the 4th quartile of RHR were older and had longer duration of diabetes, higher hemoglobin A1c , daily insulin dose, serum creatinine, UAE, and a significantly higher prevalence of nonproliferative retinopathy compared with subjects in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles (P<.05). In logistic regression analysis, after adjustment for risk factors, higher RHR was significantly associated with risk of nonproliferative retinopathy in patients (P<.001), with odds ratios of 1.02 to 1.08. These data suggest that RHR is independently associated with nonproliferative retinopathy in normoalbuminuric type 1 diabetic patients.