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Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common ocular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and considered one of the leading causes of blindness in developed countries. Diabetic retinopathy is predominantly a microangiopathy in which high glucose levels can make small blood vessels particularly, vulnerable to damage. Objective: The aim of this work was to assess the thickness of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measured by Swept Source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Patients and Methods: The study was an observational cross-sectional study. The study was conducted on 40 eyes of diabetic patients from the outpatient clinic in ophthalmology department of Al-Azhar University Hospitals. All patients were subjected to a complete ophthalmic examination including OCT. Results: The current study showed a negative correlation between parameters related to DM (duration of DM, and state of glycemic control measured by HbA1C) and all the parameters related to RNFL, and RGCL thickness but this correlation was statistically insignificant, and there was statistically significant decrease in superior RNFL thickness in patients with mild DR than patients with no DR, however, this difference was statistically insignificant in all parameters related to RGCL thickness in the two groups. Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides non-invasive, quantitative and objective measurement of RNFL thickness, optic nerve head, and RGCL thickness with high resolution and accuracy. This could be the method of choice for monitoring the neurodegenerative changes in DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the rising trend of diabetes mellitus and hypertension, there is also a rise in chronic complications like chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD). Cardiovascular complications remain the most common cause of death among ESRD patients and those on hemodialysis (HD). Hemodialysis patients behave in a distinct way that they are relatively more prone for bleeding than thrombotic manifestations. In recent days, abnormalities in platelet parameters are found to be an effective tool in risk stratification of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to develop coronary artery disease. Platelet parameters are considered as inflammatory markers. The present study was taken to find the association of various platelet parameters among hemodialysis patients and CKD patients. Objectives: The aim was to study the platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit (PCT) and platelet large cell ratio (PLCR) among ESRD patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and compare with CKD patients and healthy age and sex matched controls. Methods: The present study was done on three groups. Group 1 included 20 healthy individuals from hospital staffs and healthy volunteers matched for age and sex, Group2 included 60 CKD patients and Group 3 included 40 ESRD patients on maintenance HD. Results: The mean values of platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet count, plateletcrit ratio (PCT) and platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR) were found to be higher in CKD and ESRD patients when compared to healthy controls. PDW, PCT and L-PCR attained statistical significance, while MPV did not. Conclusions: Abnormality in platelet parameters can be used as a predictor of underlying inflammation and severity of atherosclerosis as all these parameters are lesser than that observed in control population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]