The relationship between serum vitamin D concentrations and development of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background. The literature does not provide enough information about the role of vitamin D in the genesis of diabetic retinopathy. The active metabolite of vitamin D, calcitriol, is a potent retinal neovascularization inhibitor in an experimental model of ischemic retinopathy. There is very few evidence on the possible relationship between the content of vitamin D and the incidence of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients in the European population, including Ukraine. The purpose of the study is to establish the association between vitamin D status and the incidence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 DM. Material and methods. In the case-control observational study, two groups of patients with type 2 DM were examined: 55 with diabetic retinopathy (cases) and 35 without retinopathy (controls). All of them had normal kidney function (glomerular filtration rate > 60 ml/min, without microalbuminuria) in the absence of cardiovascular complications. Patients did not receive calcium and/or vitamin D preparations. Results. The study confirms the relationship between 25(OH)D content and the presence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 DM. Patients with retinopathy had a significantly lower concentration of 25(OH)D — 14.6 ± 2.9 ng/ml versus 23.9 ± 3.1 ng/ml in patients without retinopathy, p < 0.05. The multivariate analyses demonstrated a significant association of diabetic retinopathy and 25(OH)D. Conclusions. The results indicate the potential role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Further experimental and prospective studies are needed to determine the role of vitamin D status in the development of diabetic retinopathy and other diabetic microvascular complications.

Keywords

• type 2 diabetes mellitus
• diabetic retinopathy
• vitamin d