Helicobacter pylori infection significantly correlated with diabetic retinopathy

The researchers found Helicobacter pylori infection to be a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy, and there was no significant difference between Hp infection and DR of different pathological degrees. They suggested that active eradication of Hp may be helpful for DR prevention.

Diabetic retinopathy is a blinding eye disease that hurts human eye health. The main therapeutic goal is prevention, and early diagnosis and standard treatment can effectively improve prognosis.

Helicobacter pylori is a pathogenic microorganism colonizing the stomach, which can produce a variety of inflammatory cytokines and can secrete adhesin and urease to cause cell damage.

Zhen-Rong Liu, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan Province, China, and colleagues aimed to explore the correlation between diabetic retinopathy and Helicobacter pylori infection, based on data from a physical examination population.

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional retrospective analysis of 73 824 health examination participants from 2018 to 2019. Participants were divided into the non-diabetic group, the diabetic group, the non-diabetic retinopathy (NDR) group, the non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group, the Hp infection group, and the proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group.

Body mass index (BMI), age, gender, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and Hp data were recorded to compare the degree of DR lesions and Hp infection. The correlation between DR and Hp infection was evaluated using logistic regression analysis.

The authors reported the following findings:

· There was a statistically significant difference between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups (χ2=94.17).

· Logistic regression analysis showed that male sex, age, BMI, SBP, TG, LDL-C, and Hp infection were independent risk factors for DR.

· There was no correlation between the degree of DR lesions and Hp infection (ρ=-0.00339).

· Age [odds ratio (OR)=1.035] and SBP (OR=1.009) were independent risk factors for the degree of DR.

"There was a significant correlation between diabetic retinopathy and Hp infection in the physical examination population," the researchers wrote. "Helicobacter pylori infection is a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy, and there was no significant difference between Hp infection and DR of different pathological degrees."

Reference:

Liu, R., Bao, T., Xue, J., Xu, Y., Gao, X., & Zhang, M. (2023). Correlation between diabetic retinopathy and Helicobacter pylori infection: A cross-sectional retrospective study. International Journal of Ophthalmology, 16(8), 1260-1267. https://doi.org/10.18240/ijo.2023.08.11