PREDICTIVE VALUE OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN PREDICTING: THE RISK OF PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

A retrospective clinical and immunological study determined the diagnostic value of inflammatory cytokines in predicting the development of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. 82 patients with diabetes mellitus were divided into two groups: group 1 - 40 patients without developing proliferative complications of diabetic retinopathy and group 2 - 42 patients with the transition of non -proliferative diabetic retinopathy to proliferative one. In the blood of patients of the second group, there was a significantly higher level of concentration of the cytokines TNF-alpha (Pu=0.001), IL-1 beta (Pu<0.001), IL-8 (Pu<0.001) in the absence of significant changes in the cytokine IL-4 (Pu=0.094; Pu=0.073). The distribution of the balance of cytokines towards proinflammatory ones indicates the critical role of systemic inflammation along the type 1 T-helper pathway in the pathogenesis of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The values of TNF-alpha cytokines above the level of 6.3 pg/ml (test sensitivity 71.4 %, specificity 65.0 %), IL-1 beta above 11 pg/ml (test sensitivity 69.0 %, specificity 87.5 %), IL-8 above 28 pg/ml (test sensitivity 81.0 %, specificity 65.0 %) can be used as criteria for predicting a high risk of developing proliferative diabetic retinopathy.