A Case of Rapidly Progressive Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy in the Setting of Severe Anorexia Nervosa
Lauren M Arguinchona, Anne Strong Caldwell, Zafar S Gill, William Gange, Christopher B Le, Nihaal Mehta, Alejandro I Marin, Niranjan ManoharanPurpose:
To report a case of rapidly progressive diabetic retinopathy in the setting of admission for severe anorexia nervosa.
Methods:
Case report
Results:
A 21-year-old female with type 1 diabetes mellitus and mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy of both eyes was admitted for severe anorexia nervosa with a BMI of 12.5 and hemoglobin A1c of 10.6. Three months after admission, the patient reported visual complaints and was found to have severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy in the right eye and proliferative diabetic retinopathy with vitreous hemorrhage in the left eye. She was lost to follow-up for 4 months, then presented to clinic with bilateral proliferative diabetic retinopathy and a tractional retinal detachment of the right eye.
Conclusion:
There is a potential relationship between severe eating disorders and rapid worsening of diabetic retinopathy. Patients with type 1 diabetes who have acute complications due to eating disorders should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist to monitor for rapid progression of retinopathy.