Objective: To investigate mannose-binding lectin (MBL) serum levels in type 2 diabetic patients with and without diabetic retinopathy (DR).
Methods: Serum MBL levels were determined in type 2 diabetic patients (N=324) as well as in 300 healthy control Subjects. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) was used to test the overall predict accuracy of MBL and other markers.
Results: Diabetic patients with DR and vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) had significantly higher MBL levels on admission (P<0.0001 and P<0.0001). MBL improved the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the diabetes duration for DRfrom 0.82(95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-0.86) to 0.88(95% CI, 0.82-0.96; P<0.01) and for VDTR from 0.85(95% CI, 0.77-0.92) to 0.90(95% CI, 0.83-0.96; P<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for common risk factors showed that serum MBL levels(per log-unit increase) was an independent predictor of DR (OR=3.45; 95%CI: 1.42-7.05) and VTDR (OR=4.42; 95%CI: 1.51-8.18).
Conclusion: MBL is a novel, independent diagnostic marker of DR in type 2 diabetic patients, suggesting that MBL may be involved in the pathogenesis of DR in diabetic patients.