Posters

Early detection of the affection of corneal nerve fibers in patients with type 2 diabetes using the corneal confocal microscopy

Poster Details

First Author: C.Mihai ROMANIA

Co Author(s):    C. Tataru   M. Burcea   A. Dogaroiu   S. Badescu   N. Nastase   I. Cristescu     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

The extremely negative effects of diabetic neuropathy over the entire human organism make the detection of modifications in early stages very important. The purpose of this study is to establish a correlation between early modifications appeared at the level of corneal nerves fibers and the glycemic values of patients with type 2 diabetes. The affection of corneal nerves fibers has been emphasized with the help of corneal confocal microscopy (CCM).

Setting:

Alcor Clinic, Bucharest. Romania

Methods:

A total number of 70 subjects have been evaluated of which 55 suffered from type 2 diabetes (group A) and 15 have been subject to control (group B). The ophthalmologic control also contained a confocal microscopy that has highlighted the decrease of the number of nerves filets of the sub-basal plexus, modifications associated with type 2 diabetes.

Results:

The density of nerves fibers (12.11± 1.064 n/mm2 compared to 28.33 ± 2.101 n/mm2 , P= 0.001); the density of nerves branches (29.94 ± 3.980 n/mm2 compared to 43.75 ± 4.605 n/mm2 , P<0.001); the length of nerves fibers (11.77 ± 0.638 mm/mm2 compared to 17.82 ± 0.479 mm/mm2 , P=0.002), the total density of nerves fibers (23.25 ± 3.213 n/mm2 compared to 63.75 ± 8.278 n/mm2 , P=0.042) and the area of corneal nerves fibers (0.0044 ± 0.000247 mm2 /mm2 compared to 0.007893 ± 0.00054 mm2 /mm2, P=0.014) have been significantly smaller in patients with diabetes compared to healthy subjects.

Conclusions:

Being a non-invasive technique, corneal confocal microscopy represents a technique that can be easily used in the detection of early modifications of fibers of sub-basal corneal nerves stratum, in the case of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes.

Financial Disclosure:

NONE