Correlation of Macular Vessel Density with Hemoglobin A1C in Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA1C) and variations in macular vessel density (VD) in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Methods: This Prospective cross-sectional observational study included 30 eyes of 18 Egyptian patients with NPDR selected from Ophthalmology Department at Benha university. All studied cases were subjected to full ophthalmological examination, OCTA scans were captured using xx, and HBA1C was recorded for each patient. Results: Multivariate analysis, adjusted for age, gender, and DM duration revealed that HBA1C was a significant predictor of superficial VD in the parafoveal, temp parafoveal, and sup parafoveal regions. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were done for HBA1C to predict deep VD. The regression analyses were limited to the significant correlations mentioned earlier. Multivariate analysis, adjusted for age, gender, and DM duration revealed that HBA1C was a significant predictor of deep VD in the temp parafoveal and temp perifoveal regions. Conclusion: HBA1C levels are significantly correlated with changes in macular VD and retinal thickness in patients with NPDR, as assessed by OCTA. Strong negative correlations between HbA1C levels and both superficial and deep VD in the parafoveal and perifoveal regions, highlighting HbA1C as a robust predictor of vascular alterations in these areas.