DIABETIC RETINOPATHY PROGRESSION AND ENDOCRINE CORRELATES: A MULTICENTER STUDY

Abstract

This is a multicenter study which explores the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and endocrine correlates of a person with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).  The research will attempt to clarify the hormonal factors that enable the development and hemodynamic advancement of diabetic retinopathy (DR), which is a leading cause of blindness worldwide.  During the research process, we investigated clinical records of 500 patients diagnosed with T2DM, assessing the retinal health of the patients through extensive fundus photography, ophthalmic assessments, and at the same time assessing different endocrine parameters, including insulin resistance, glycaemic control, thyroid functioning, and adipokines.  We find that chronic hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and high amounts of inflammatory markers are all significantly associated with the severity of DR.  Furthermore, thyroid disease, in particular, hypothyroidism was identified as one of the most significant risk factors of the progression of retinopathy.  The research also demonstrates that adipokines can potentially play a role in retinal health as an increase in leptin levels is associated with more strenuous cases of DR.  Our results suggest that the need to support the comprehensive care strategies to treat the metabolic and endocrine dysfunctions to prevent or delay the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy among T2DM patients.  These results are relevant to therapeutic applications and to show that more personalised forms of therapy are needed to address the glycaemics and endocrine disequilibrium to relieve the burden of diabetic eye disorders.