In type 1 diabetes, cardiac autonomic neuropathy and higher BMI are independently linked to reduced corneal nerve fiber length, indicating corneal small-fiber pathology.
Is corneal confocal microscopy associated with cardiac autonomic neuropathy in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus?
Corneal confocal microscopy may serve as a non-invasive measure of neuropathy burden, as reduced corneal nerve fiber length is independently associated with cardiac autonomic neuropathy in type 1 diabetes.
In individuals with T1DM, the presence of CAN and higher BMI were independently associated with reduced CNFL. These findings indicate an association between corneal small-fiber pathology and autonomic dysfunction in T1DM, supporting the role of CCM as a non-invasive measure of neuropathy burden, while longitudinal studies are required to determine its diagnostic or prognostic utility.
Ziori et al. (2026) studied this question. In type 1 diabetes, cardiac autonomic neuropathy and higher BMI are independently linked to reduced corneal nerve fiber length, indicating corneal small-fiber pathology.