Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Mar;21(1):28-32.
doi: 10.3341/kjo.2007.21.1.28.

The therapeutic effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Yong Jae Cha  1 , Sung Jin Kim
Affiliations

The therapeutic effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Yong Jae Cha et al. Korean J Ophthalmol. 2007 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) in retarding progression of severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in normotensive type 2 diabetic patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective case control study of 128 patients with normotensive type 2 diabetes with lower than +1 dipstick proteinuria and severe NPDR who were classified into either an ACE-I treated group (Enalapril maleate 10 mg, n=12 , Ramipril 5 mg, n=17) or an ACE-I untreated group (n=99). Medical records were reviewed for endpoints of (a) occurrence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) or macular edema (ME) for which laser phototherapy was necessary or (b) development of proteinuria of higher than +1 level requiring medication of ACE-I.

Results: From the total of 128 patients, there were 29 ACE-I treated patients and 99 ACE-I untreated patients. There were no differences in the average age, duration of diabetes, body mass indices, blood pressure and levels of hyperglycemia or HbA1C between the two groups. Blood pressure and HbA1C levels in both groups remained unchanged during the study. The mean follow-up period was 41.6 months. In the ACE-I group, 6 patients progressed to PDR, 5 to ME and 6 developed proteinuria of greater than +1 over the follow-up period. In the control group, 30 patients progressed to PDR, 6 to ME and 9 developed proteinuria of greater than +1 over the follow-up period.

Conclusions: Small doses of ACE-I did not yield any beneficial effects in retarding the progression of severe NPDR.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Patients reaching study endpoints. *Group 1 : ACE-I treated group. †PDR : proliferative diabetic retinopathy. ‡ME : macular edema. §PRO : ≥ 1+ Proteinuria. ΠGroup 2 : Control group (ACE-I untreated).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Porta M, Allione A. Current approaches and perspectives in the medical treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Pharmacol Ther. 2004;103:167–177. - PubMed
    1. Cohen RA, Hennekens CH, Christen WG, et al. Determinants of retinopathy progression in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Am J Med. 1999;107:45–51. - PubMed
    1. Klein R, Klein BEK. Vision disorders in diabetes. In: National Diabetes Group, editor. Diabetes in America. 2nd ed. Washington DC: NIH Publication; 1995. chap. 14.
    1. Aiello L, Cavallerano J, Brusell SE. Diabetic eye disease. Endocrinol Metabol Clin North Am. 1996;25:271–292. - PubMed
    1. Funatsu H, Yamashita H. Pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy and the renin-angiotensine system. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2003;23:495–501. - PubMed

MeSH terms