Purposes: To investigate the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients and clarify the relationship between SDB and PDR.
Subject and methods: Sixty-four PDR patients who had undergone vitrectomy in our hospital were included in this study. Forty-two patients were male, and 22 were female. Pulseoximetry was conducted during the nighttime; the sleeping 3% oxygen desaturation index (ODI/h) was calculated. If ODI was > or = 10/h, SDB was diagnosed. Blood glucose control and the presence of hypertension and albuminuria were evaluated and compared between the SDB and non-SDB groups.
Results: Fifty percent of male patients, 27% of female patients and 42% of all PDR patients were diagnosed as having SDB. The presence of hypertension and albuminuria was 96% and 74%, respectively, in the SDB group, both significantly higher than in the non-SDB group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in preoperative HbAlc levels. However, compared with the non-SDB group, the prevalence of insulin therapy was significantly higher in the SDB group.
Conclusion: PDR cases had a high frequency of SDB. It appears that SDB might hamper blood glucose control, raise the occurrence of hypertension and albuminuria, and is thus related to the progression of diabetic retinopathy.