Barlovic DP, et al. – Investigators assessed whether severe diabetic retinopathy (SDR) impacts the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). For this investigation, the cumulative incidence of various CVD events, including coronary heart disease, peripheral artery disease, and stroke, retrieved from registries, was assessed in 1,683 individuals with at least a 30-year duration of type 1 diabetes drawn from the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study. Findings revealed that SDR increased the risk of any CVD, after adjustment for diabetes duration, age at diabetes onset, sex, smoking, blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, history of hypoglycemia, and serum lipids, even in the absence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). The researchers concluded that, in long-standing type 1 diabetes, SDR alone (even without DKD) increases cardiovascular risk, especially for PAD, independently of common cardiovascular risk factors.