To investigate body fluid status in diabetic macular edema (DME) patients and the extent to which it is affected by renal function.
One hundred and thirty-two eyes from 132 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) were prospectively collected in this cross-sectional, observational study. Thirty-five were DM patients without diabetic retinopathy (DR), 31 were DR patients without DME, and 66 were DME patients. The fluid status of each participant was quantified with extracellular water-to-total body water ratio (ECW/TBW) using a body composition monitor. Central subfield thickness (CST) and macular volume (MV) were obtained using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and albumin was obtained using serum and urine laboratory data.
ECW/TBW was significantly increased in DME patients (39.2 ± 0.9, %) compared to DM (38.1 ± 0.7, %,
DME patients had elevated body fluid volume independent of kidney functions. The assessment of extracellular fluid status may help in the management of DME.