Background: The pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains unclear. The aim of the study was to explore the associations of DR with the levels of high-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW-ADP), secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP-5) as well as vascular endothelial growth factor-165 (VEGF165).
Methods: Based on the diagnostic criteria for DR, non-DR (NDR), proliferative DR (PDR) plus non-proliferative DR (NPDR) groups were set up for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients (n=180) treated from January 2020 to March 2021. The control group consisted of another 60 healthy subjects undergoing physical examinations. Their clinical data were compared. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to assess the predictive values of HMW-ADP, VEGF165 and SFRP-5 for DR. The predictive efficiency of the established nomogram model was assessed.
Results: The differences in age, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), T2DM duration, triglyceride (TG), hypertension history, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), serum creatinine (Scr), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), urine acid (UA), SFRP-5 HMW-ADP, and VEGF165 were significant between control and DR groups (P<0.05). HMW-ADP, VEGF165 and SFRP-5 had predictive values for DR (AUC>0.7), and the predictive efficiency of their combination was highest. The duration of T2DM, Scr, UA and VEGF165 were independent risk factors for DR, while HMW-ADP and SFRP-5 were protective factors (P<0.05). Preferable discrimination and accuracy together with clinical applicability were obtained for the nomogram prediction model.
Conclusions: The three indicators as a whole have a high predictive value for DR, as potential indicators for the clinical screening of high-risk groups.
