Sex Differences in Retinal Microvasculature Through Puberty In Type 1 Diabetes: Are Girls at Greater Risk of Diabetic Microvascular Complications?

Abstract

This is the first longitudinal study to repeatedly examine RVG through puberty in youth with T1D. Sex dimorphism was observed. Female sex was associated with lower LDRa, wider venules, and earlier onset of retinopathy. These RVG patterns have been associated with incident microvascular complications but did not reach statistical significance in this study. Larger studies are needed to investigate the RVG, microvascular complications, and sex associations early in the course of T1D.