Assessment for the Correlation Between Diabetic Retinopathy and Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Main Authors: Sun Q, Tang L, Zeng Q, Gu M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2021-04-01
• Series: Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity : Targets and Therapy
• Subjects: diabetic retinopathy; generalized additive model; glucose; blood pressure
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/assessment-for-the-correlation-between-diabetic-retinopathy-and-metabo-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-DMSO

Qing Sun,1,2 Liang Tang,2 Qiurong Zeng,2 Mingjun Gu2 1Department of Clinical Nutrition, Fuling Center Hospital of Chongqing City, Chongqing, 408000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Endocrinology, Fuling Center Hospital of Chongqing City, Chongqing, 408000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Mingjun GuDepartment of Endocrinology, Fuling Center Hospital of Chongqing City, No. 2 Fuling District, Gaosuntang Road, Chongqing, 408000, People’s Republic of ChinaTel [phone]Email [e-mail]: In this study, we explored the correlation between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among diabetes mellitus (DM) patients.Methods: Logistic regression analysis was utilized to test the effects of MetS and its indicators on the incidence of DR and vision-related functional burden. The spline smoothing functions of continuous indicators of MetS were used to establish the logistic generalized additive model (GAM). The effective degree of freedom (EDF) =1 was served as a sign of linear relationship. EDF> 1 was a sign of a more complex association between MetS and DR.Results: The proportion of difficulties of looking for objects on the crowded shelves in the DR group was higher than that in the non-DR group (19.40 vs 12.10, P< 0.05). Elevated fasting glucose (Glu) and blood pressure levels were related to the vision-related functional burden. The risk of DR development increased by 6% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03– 1.09, P< 0.001] and 1% (95% CI: 1.01– 1.02, P=0.004) per 1 unit increase in Glu and systolic blood pressure (SBP) of DM patients, respectively. In the univariate GAM, Glu had a linear effect on DR (EDF=1, P< 0.001) with a positive correlation after controlling SBP. And there was a nonlinear correlation between SBP and DR after controlling Glu (EDF=2.44, P=0.024).Conclusion: Both Glu and blood pressure were associated with the occurrence of DR and vision-related functional burden. Controlling the levels of Glu and blood pressure may reduce the risk of DR and vision loss among DM patients.Keywords: diabetic retinopathy, generalized additive model, glucose, blood pressure