Objective: We examined the influence of non-ophthalmic parameters as risk factors of clinically significant macular edema (CSME).
Methods: The authors reviewed clinical records of all clinically significant macular edema between 1995 and 2005. The association between the presence of CSME and HgbA1c, onset and duration of diabetes, blood pressure, body mass index, lipid status, sex, tobacco smoking and urinary albumin excretion was evaluated.
Results: 208 eyes met the study criteria. Patients ranged in age from 14 to 82 years (mean, 66 years) and had 8 to 64 years (mean, 47.5 years) of history of diabetes. Significant risk factors for CSME were older age, high levels of HgbA1c, high values of blood pressure, tobacco smoking, high cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and high levels of proteinuria and microalbuminuria.
Conclusion: Independent on the type of diabetes, patients with long standing diabetes have a high risk to develop diabetic maculopathy, but other closely-related risk factors are hypertension, hyperglycemia, lipids, tobacco smoking and renal status.