Song KH, et al. - In this 3-year retrospective cohort study, researchers ascertained if there are differences in the risk factors or markers for the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study sample consisted of 604 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In the DR progressors, the mean levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and HbA1c variability were higher than in the non-progressors of DR. According to findings, the average level of HbA1c was a risk factor for the progression of DR independent of duration of diabetes and variability of HbA1, whereas the variability of HbA1c and dyslipidemia were risk factors for the progression of DN independent of estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. The authors concluded that various factors were linked to the progression of DR and DN in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.