Association of Vitamin D Deficiency in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR)

Abstract

Background: As the advanced stage of diabetic eye disease, proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a significant contributor to preventable blindness worldwide. The association between vitamin D deficiency and either retinal vascular dysfunction or disease progression is garnering increasing evidence. To examine the relationship between vitamin D and PDR (proliferative diabetic retinopathy) in T2DM.

Study design:  This study was cross-sectional study and conducted for six months.

Methods: The study enrolled 150 individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, equally divided into two groups: 75 patients with PDR and 75 with NPDR. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured using ELISA. A deficiency of vitamin D was considered <20 ng/ml. SPSS were used for analysis, using a significance level of p<0.05.

Results: The assessment of vitamin D concentration in patients diagnosed with PDR was significantly lower than NPDR patients (14.6 ± 5.8 vs 23.1 ± 6.5 ng/mL, p<0.001). Vitamin D deficiency was much more common in PDR patients (80%) than NPDR patients (45.3%) (p<0.001). Vitamin D deficiency was an standalone predictor of risk for PDR (OR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.6–6.2) when compared with the other parameters.

Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is strongly linked to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and may be a disease risk factor. Diabetic patients with vitamin D deficiency may benefit from screening and correcting the vitamin D deficiency, which could help decrease the risk of advanced retinal complications.