Association between hemoglobin levels and diabetic retinopathy risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between hemoglobin ( Hb ) levels and diabetic retinopathy( DR) risk in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus( T2DM) . Methods A total of 629 patients who were hospitalized and diagnosed as T2DM were enrolled in the study. The clinical data were collected;All participants underwent an ophthalmic examination, including fundus photographs. They were divided into DR and non-diabetic retinopathy( NDR) groups based on the results of fundus examination. Anemia was defined according to Chinese anemia criteria. The analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between Hb levels and DR risks. Results The patients with DR had lower hemoglobin levels and a higher prevalence of anemia compared to those without DR. A univariate analysis displayed a significant negative correlation between Hb levels and the rates of DR( P<0.01) . In multivariate linear regression, a 29％ decrease in DR risk was found with a 1 g/dl increase in Hb level(OR=0.713, 95％CI 0.598-0.850, P<0.01). Presence of anemia increased the risk of DR with OR=4.123(95％CI 1.793-9.478, P<0.01) times compared to those who did not have anemia. Conclusion The study indicates a negatire relationship letween Hb levels and DR risk, and a higher Hb levels may reduce the development of DR in T2DM.