Correlation Between Vitreous Advanced Glycation End Products, and D-dimer with Blood HbA1c Levels in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Background: proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an advanced form of DR that eventually could lead to blindness. Levels of vitreous advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and D-dimer may reflect the pathological changes in the retina, but only few studies have assessed their correlation with blood hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels. This study aimed to find the association between blood HbA1c levels with vitreous AGEs and D-dimer levels in patients with proliferative DR. Methods: an analytical cross-sectional study was performed in subjects with proliferative DR who underwent vitrectomy. Subjects were divided into 2 subgroups, i.e. uncontrolled (HbA1c >7%) and controlled (HbA1c <7%) groups. Vitreous AGEs and D-dimer levels were assessed; the levels were compared between uncontrolled and controlled hyperglycemic patients. Statistic correlation tests were also performed for evaluating blood HbA1c, vitreous AGEs, and D-dimer levels. Results: a total of 47 patients were enrolled in this study and 32 (68.1%) of them were women. Median vitreous AGEs level was 11.0 (3.0 – 48.0) µg/mL; whereas median vitreous D-dimers level was 5,446.0 (44.0 – 37,394.0 ) ng/mL. The median vitreous AGEs levels was significantly higher in patients with uncontrolled vs. controlled hyperglycemia (14.0 vs. 4.0 mg/mL; p