Inflammation, Haemostatic Disturbance, and Obesity: Possible Link to Pathogenesis of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE The pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is insufficiently understood but may possibly involve chronic, low-grade inflammation. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between inflammatory and haemostatic markers, other markers of endothelial dysfunction and anthropometric parameters, and their association with DR in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS According to the DR status patients were divided into three groups: no retinopathy, mild/moderate nonproliferative (NPDR), and severe NPDR/proliferative retinopathy (PDR). RESULTS The groups did not differ in the levels of inflammatory and haemostatic markers, other markers of endothelial dysfunction, and anthropometric parameters. After dividing the patients according to the level of obesity (defined by BMI, WC, and WHR) into three groups ANOVA showed the differences in C-reactive protein according to the WC (P = 0.0265) and in fibrinogen according to the WHR (P = 0.0102) as well as in total cholesterol (P = 0.0109) and triglycerides (P = 0.0133) according to the BMI. Logistic regression analyses showed that diabetes duration and prolonged poor glycemic control are the main predictors of retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSION Interrelations between obesity, inflammation, haemostatic disturbance, and other risk factors may possibly play an important additional role in endothelial dysfunction involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.