Pentraxin 3 and epicardial fat thickness are independently associated with diabetic retinopathy in diabetic patients

Previous studies have shown that diabetic retinopathy and inflammation are closely related. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (HsCRP), and epicardial fat thickness (EFT) are parameters associated with inflammation. The aim of this cross-sectional study, was to determine if the levels of HsCRP, PTX3, and EFT were predictors or markers for diabetic retinopathy (DR). Cross-sectional study, 40 normal, nondiabetic subjects (group1), 50 type 2 diabetic patients without DR (group2), and 110 type 2 diabetic patients with DR (group3) were included. PTX3 and HsCRP concentrations were measured and transthoracic echocardiography was used to measure EFT. ANOVA and the post hoc multiple comparisons showed that differences among group 1 and group 2 and also among group 2 and group 3 for PTX3 (p < 0.01 and p = 0.018, respectively), for HsCRP (p < 0.01 and p = 0.042, respectively), and for EFT (p < 0.01 and p = 0.021, respectively) were statistically significant. The difference in serum creatinine was statistically significant only among group 2 and group 3 (p < 0.01). Diabetes duration (OR = 1.116, p < 0.01), PTX3 (OR = 8.516, p = 0.039), EFT (OR = 1.444, p = 0.02), and serum creatinine level (OR = 15.45, p = 0.015) have independent association with DR. Besides, the well-known factors such as diabetes duration and serum creatinine, PTX3, as a marker of inflammation, and EFT, as a marker of inflammation and vascular damage, were independently associated with DR in diabetic patients. Clinical trial number: 20.03.2015/30