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BMC Ophthalmology
Published in: BMC Ophthalmology 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Erythropoietin | Research article

Serum erythropoietin concentration and its correlation with stage of diabetic retinopathy

Authors: Sofija Davidović, Nikola Babić, Sandra Jovanović, Sava Barišić, Desanka Grković, Aleksandar Miljković

Published in: BMC Ophthalmology | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Erythropoietin (EPO) is one of the systemic angiogenic factors, and its role in ocular angiogenesis and in diabetic retinopathy (DR) is not yet fully understood. The latest research data reveal a possible correlation of higher erythropoietin concentrations in the blood and in the eye with the development of more advanced stages of DR.
The main aim of this work was to examine the possible influence of serum concentrations of erythropoietin on the development of diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2.

Methods

The research involved 90 patients examined at the University Eye Clinic of the Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia. The first group comprised 60 patients with diabetes mellitus lasting for 10 years or more, with diabetic retinopathy. The second, control group consisted of 30 healthy individuals. In the first group of 60 patients with diabetes, 30 of them had non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and 30 had proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Laboratory EPO serum levels were determined, and they were correlated to the stage of DR. Concentration of EPO was assessed by ELISA method.

Results

The highest average concentration of EPO in serum (9.95 mIU/ml) was determined in the group of people with diabetes with PDR. The lowest average concentration of EPO in the serum (6.90 mIU/ml) was found in the control group. The average concentration of EPO in serum in the group of patients with diabetes with NPDR was 7.00 mIU/ml. The EPO concentration in serum was elevated in the group of PDR, and it was directly proportional to the level of the clinical stadium of PDR, being significantly higher in the moderate and severe subgroup of PDR comparing to the control healthy subjects, NPDR and mild PDR (p = 0.007).

Conclusions

Significantly elevated serum concentration of EPO in the advanced stages of DR, and positive correlation between EPO serum concentration and clinical stages of PDR, suggest that erythropoietin represents an important growth factor from blood, which plays a significant role in retinal ischemia and angiogenesis in diabetic retinopathy, especially in the proliferative stage of this disease.
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Metadata
Title
Serum erythropoietin concentration and its correlation with stage of diabetic retinopathy
Authors
Sofija Davidović
Nikola Babić
Sandra Jovanović
Sava Barišić
Desanka Grković
Aleksandar Miljković
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Ophthalmology / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2415
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-019-1240-9

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