The pathogenetic substantiation of the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

The objective of the present work was to study visual functions, as well as changes in the systemic and local renin-angiotensin system before and after intake of the ACE inhibitor perindopril in 65 patients (130 eyes) presenting with diabetic retinopathy. The treatment caused the most pronounced changes in the patients with preproliferative diabetic retinopathy including the two-fold (p<0.05) decrease of ACE activity in the blood and its 7.5-fold (p<0.05) increase in the tears. These effects appear to be attributable to the action of perindopril on the levels of the proangiogenic factors known to be elevated in the patients with severe retinal ischemia. The treatment of patients with diabetic macular oedema with perindopril resulted in the decrease of the retinal thickness from 392.5±46.7 to 347.2±39.6 mcm in the absence of significant improvement in the acuteness of vision. All the patients experienced a significant reduction in the level of glycosylated hemoglobin.