Association between Hyperlipidemia and Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Type I Diabetes Mellitus in Ahvaz

To evaluate the association between hyperlipidemia with severity of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type I diabetes mellitus referred to the Eye Clinic at Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran. This observational cross-sectional study included 52 patients with type I diabetes mellitus. Fasting blood samples for analysis of serum lipids and HbA1C were obtained from all patients. Comprehensive eye examination was performed and the stage of diabetic retinopathy was determined. Patients included 27 (52%) male and 25 (48%) female subjects with mean age of 21.6±4.6 (range, 15-32) years. One way ANOVA showed that higher serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol as well as a lower level of HDL cholesterol were significantly associated with increasing severity of retinopathy. After ordinal logistic regression, serum levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol had no association with the degree of diabetic retinopathy, while serum levels of triglyceride and total cholesterol were significantly associated with increasing severity of the retinopathy. No association was found between HBA1C and the severity of retinopathy. Higher serum levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride seem to be associated with more severe diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes mellitus type I but LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and HbA1C do not predict the severity of diabetic retinopathy.