The association of hematologic inflammatory markers with atherogenic index in type 2 diabetic retinopathy patients

Müberra Akdoğan,¹ Yasemin Ustundag-Budak,² Kagan Huysal<sup>2

1</sup>Department of Ophtalmology, ²Department of Clinical Laboratory, Yüksek İhtisas Education and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey

Background: Atherogenic dyslipidemia is particularly common in people with type 2 diabetes (DM2). Platelets from patients with DM2 have increased reactivity and baseline activation. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between atherogenic index and hematologic inflammatory markers and to evaluate the relationship between these parameters and associated variables in diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients.
Methods: The medical records of all patients admitted to the eye clinic between January and December 2014 were evaluated systematically. Laboratory parameters of 278 outpatients with DM2 diagnosed after the age of 30 years and 107 healthy subjects were analyzed.
Results: The DM2 + DR group consisted of 120 patients (47 males and 73 females; mean age 59.8±9.2 years). The DM2 without DR group consisted of 158 patients (59 males and 99 females; mean age 57.3±12.2 years). Mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width (PDW), platelet–lymphocyte (P/L) ratio, triglycerides, and atherogenic index were higher in DM2 patients than in control patients, but there was no difference between the DM2 + DR and the DM2 without DR groups. Only P/L ratio was different in the DM2 + DR patients compared to the DM2 without DR patients. Hemoglobin A1c levels correlated very weakly with the mean platelet volume, PDW, P/L ratio, and the red cell distribution width. The atherogenic index was very weakly correlated with the P/L ratio, PDW, and red cell distribution width.
Conclusion: Dyslipidemia-induced inflammation contributes to pathological processes that lead to retinopathy in DR patients.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, diabetes complications, platelets, erythrocyte indices, triglycerides