The Association Between Diabetic Retinopathy and Skeletal Muscle Capillary Basal Lamina Thickening Corrected for the Influence of Age and Duration of Diabetes

The association between an objective measure of diabetic retinopathy and skeletal muscle capillary basal lamina thickness was examined in a group of 30 male insulin-treated diabetic subjects, mean age (±SD) 44.6 ± 13.2 yr, duration of diabetes 21.2 plusmn; 11.2 yr, % ideal body weight (% IBW) 106 ± 11%. In addition, muscle capillary basal lamina width was measured in a group of 18 nondiabetic men, mean age 40.7 ± 16.3 yr and % IBW 118 ± 23%. The muscle capillary width of the diabetic subjects was significantly greater than that of the nondiabetic group (P < 0.01), but the values of the two overlapped considerably. In the diabetic group, there was a significant association of basal lamina width with age (P < 0.01) but not with duration of diabetes. The association between extent of retinopathy and muscle capillary basal lamina width was not strong. The findings of the study do not therefore support the use of an estimate of muscle capillary basal lamina thickness as a single representative measure of diabetic microangiopathy.