Vitamin D Deficiency Is AssociatedWith Retinopathy in Children andAdolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE—To examine the hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with an increased prevalence of microvascular complications in young people with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In a cross-sectional study of 517 patients, 25-hydroxyvitamin D was measured. Retinopathy was assessed by 7-field stereoscopic retinal photography, peripheral neuropathy by thermal and vibration threshold testing, and micro-albuminuria by albumin excretion rate or albumin-to-creatinine ratio. RESULTS—Retinopathy prevalence was higher in cases with VDD versus sufficiency (18 vs. 9%, P = 0.02); deficiency was not associated with microalbuminuria or neuropathy. In logistic regression, retinopathy was associated with VDD (odds ratio 2.12 [95 % CI 1.03–4.33]), diabetes duration (1.13, 1.05–1.23), and HbA1c (1.24, 1.02–1.50). CONCLUSIONS—VDD is associated with an increased prevalence of retinopathy in young people with type 1 diabetes. The inflammatory and angiogenic effects of VDD may contribute to early retinal vascular damage; however, further investigations are warranted. Diabetes Care 34:1400–1402, 2011 V itamin D deficiency (VDD) has beenimplicated in the development ofdiabetes complications based o