Abstract #1402867: Association of Corneal Sensitivity with Indian Diabetes Risk Score in Asian Indians The Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (Cures)

Abstract

The association of the Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) with markers of atherosclerotic changes has been reported by us earlier. Loss of corneal sensation has been reported in people with diabetes and its association with carotid intimal thickness (a marker, strongly associated with cardiovascular disease) has been documented earlier. This paper deals with the relationship between loss of corneal sensitivity and IDRS. Subjects without known diabetes (n=1,388) were selected from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study, a population-based study on a representative population (aged ≥20 years) of Chennai, the largest city in Southern India. Serum lipids were measured in an overnight fasting sample along with other biochemical parameters. Corneal sensitivity was measured using a Cochet Bonnet aesthesiometer (C-BA (model II; Luneau Ophthalmlogie, Chartres, France) and graded as normal (60 mm), moderately reduced (55 mm) and significantly reduced (≤50 mm). The MDRF-IDRS is a simple risk score to aid in the detection of undiagnosed diabetes in the community, which uses four simple parameters, viz., age, waist circumference, family history of diabetes and physical activity. Subjects with MDRF-IDRS value of <30 were categorized as low risk, those between 30 and 50 as moderate risk and those with ≥60 as high risk for diabetes. Individuals with high IDRS had significantly high values of fasting plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and HbA1c compared to those with moderate and low risk IDRS (p value of <0.001). When categorised based on IDRS, the individuals with high risk for diabetes (score of ≥60) had significantly reduced (≤50 mm) corneal sensitivity in 7.2 % % compared to 1.2% among those with moderate risk IDRS group and none in the low risk IDRS group. Same trend was observed with moderately reduced corneal sensitivity, from 1.9 % vs 10% vs 19.6 % in low, moderate and high risk IDRS group (p value of <0.001). This study shows that simple tool IDRS can be used to screen for those with reduced corneal sensation.