Investigating the Relationship Between Lipid-Lowering Agents and the Complications of Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract

Background and Objective: As the therapeutic efficacy of lipid-lowering agents (LLA) against diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains controversial, this study aimed to evaluate whether various LLA therapies are associated with a reduced risk of DR progression. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study of the medical records of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and DR compared the risk of adverse progression of DR between patients who received statins, fibrates, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, and no LLA (control). Results: Patients in the statin cohort had a reduced rate of progression to proliferative DR compared to controls (HR = 0.30, CI = 0.11 to 0.83). The PCSK9 inhibitor cohort had a reduced risk of progressing to other secondary complications of DR compared to the control (RR = 0.52, CI = 0.43 to 0.64), statin (RR = 0.69, CI = 0.61 to 0.79), and fibrate (RR = 0.67, CI = 0.59 to 0.77) cohorts. Conclusions: These findings suggest use of statins and PCSK9 inhibitors are associated with a reduced risk of adverse progression of DR. [ Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2024;55:XX–XX.]