Evaluation of the Relationship Between Diabetic Retinopathy and the Development of Left Atrial Stiffness in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Objective: Based on several studies, atrial remodeling results in an increase in left atrial (LA) stiffness, which is indicative of a worsened reservoir function. A typical microvascular consequence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the factors that might be related to LA stiffness in DM patients. Materials and Methods: There were 200 DM patients in the study population. The LA stiffness value of 0.33 led to the division of the patients into 2 groups. According to these groups, the parameters to predict the development of the LA stiffness were investigated. Results: The patient population’s median age was 54.7 ± 9.4 years, and of them, 105 (52.5% of the population) were men. Retinopathy was substantially linked with LA stiffness. Interventricular septum thickness (B coefficient: 0.261, 95% CI 0.128; 0.394; P <.001), mitral annular plane systolic excursion (B coefficient: −0.350, 95% CI −0.489; −0.2212; P < 0.001), and retinopathy (B coefficient: 0.644, 95% CI 0.307; 0.983; P <.001) were identified as independent predictors of the progression of LA stiffness by the linear regression model. Conclusion: The results of the current investigation demonstrated a correlation between higher LA stiffness values and the presence of diabetic retinopathy in diabetic patients.