Is the pulse rate useful in assessing risk of diabetic retinopathy and macular oedema? The Wisconsin Epidemiological Study of Diabetic Retinopathy

Aim - To describe the relation between pulse rate and incident diabetic ret inopathy. Methods - Population based cohort study of people with diabetes. Resting pu lse rate was measured in 30 second intervals. Diabetic retinopathy was eval uated from masked gradings of fundus photographs. Results - People with higher pulse rates were more likely to have 4 year pr ogression of retinopathy, progression to proliferative retinopathy, and inc ident macular oedema than those with lower pulse rates. However, these asso ciations were attenuated after controlling for blood pressure, glycosylated haemoglobin, and other risk factors. Conclusion - Pulse rate may be a clinical indicator of overall risk of diab etic retinopathy, but is not independently associated with the condition.