Abstract
BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) presents complications such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and nephropathy, both related to microvascular damage. DR is the leading cause of preventable blindness in T2DM. Retinal ischemia, detectable by fluorescein angiography (FA), is an early indicator, and its timely detection is crucial. Endothelial dysfunction affects vessels in organs such as the retina and kidneys. Microalbuminuria (MA) is an early sign of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Early detection, along with adequate metabolic control, can delay progression to end-stage renal disease. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between retinal ischemia, detected by FA, and MA in patients with T2DM and non-proliferative DR at the No. 1 Specialty Hospital of Bajío. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study, with ethical approval. Diabetic patients without previous renal disease or proliferative DR were included. The sample of 66 patients was evaluated by FA and MA analysis (>30 mg/24 h). Chi-square and Student's t-tests were applied. RESULTS: Patients with retinal ischemia were older (62.73 ± 8.93 vs. 57.50 ± 14.14 years; p = 0.05) and had a higher prevalence of MA (45% vs. 0%; p = 0.01). No significant differences were found in gender, DR severity, HbA1c, or creatinine levels. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal ischemia is associated with a higher prevalence of microalbuminuria in T2DM patients, supporting the study hypothesis.