Evaluation of Fetuin-A level in diabetic retinopathy

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a micro-vascular consequence of diabetes mellitus (DM) that manifests clinically as retinal ischemia, neovascularization, altered retinal permeability, and macular edema. In the adult population, DR is now considered a leading cause of blindness. Fetuin-A is a multifunctional glycoprotein that, because of its dual role in insulin resistance and angiogenesis, could be an early trigger of DR pathogenesis. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the level of Fetuin-A in diabetic patients with and without retinopathy and demonstrate if it could be used as an early indicator of DR. Patients and methods: A case-control study enrolled 45 participants selected from Al-Zahraa University Hospital, between March 2021 and October 2021, they were divided into three groups: Group 1: healthy control group (n=15); Group 2: type 2 diabetic patients without DR (n=15); and Group 3: type 2 diabetic patients with DR (n=15). All groups were age- and sex-matched and were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to evaluate serum level of Fetuin-A. Results: There was a highly significant difference of FBG, 2HPP, and HbA1c between the studied groups (p<0.001), while there was no significant difference between the three studied groups regarding Fetuin-A. There were no significant correlation between Fetuin-A, glycemic parameters, and diabetic duration in Groups 2 and 3. Conclusion: Fetuin-A has no significant role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.