CONFLICT OF INTERESTS STATEMENT
diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular comorbidities, CVD, Hanhart, diabetes
DIABETIC RETINOPATHY, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (MI), ACUTE MI, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, KIDNEY DISEASE, CVD, ADVERSE EVENTS, ADVERSE EFFECTS, HANHART, DIABETES

Bloomgarden reviewed a variety of relevant studies summarizing new approaches to the treatment of diabetes citing a study showing that anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment of over 14 000 patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) was associated with increased likelihood of myocardial infarction (MI) and overall cardiovascular disease (CVD), although with the annotation that the association may be confounded by the relationship between cardiovascular comorbidities and more severe degrees of DR.Indeed, in a recent retrospective longitudinal population‐based analysis of 1 731 782 individuals, Zafar et al reported that, in patients with DR, intravitreal anti‐VEGF injections were associated with an increase in the likelihood of systemic adverse events, such as acute MI, CVD, or kidney disease.Unlike patients reported in registration and other randomized clinical trials, patients with DR in the clinical practice setting are possibly at greater risk of serious adverse effects.Joel Hanhart and Sohee Jeon have nothing to disclose. Raimo Tuuminen is a scientific advisor (advisory board, honoraria) to Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Allergan, Inc., and has received clinical trial support (study medicines) from Bayer AG and Laboratoires Théa.