Neutrophillia significantly associated with increased risk of macular edema in type 2 diabetes patients

The study led to the following findings:

• Neutrophils% in the DME group (n=81) was more significant (57.37±9.52 vs. 63.27±7.85); Monocyte% (7.63±1.77 vs. 6.88±1.83) and lymphocyte% (30.35±9.51 vs. 27.26±6.59) were reduced, compared Compared with NO-DME group (n=33).
• With R 4.0.5 software, the optimal model was obtained. With other relevant variables being similar, females had a significantly increased DME risk (b=1.273), %neutrophils were significantly associated with an increased DME risk (b=0.152), and %lymphocytes were significantly associated with a reduced DME risk (b=−0.027).
• No significant differences in biological markers were found in the early and late DME groups, and a high-quality model was not obtained.

"WBCs and subtypes are representative markers of immune system and inflammation, and their associations with DR have been shown," the researchers wrote in their conclusion; however, only a few have described their relationships with DME.

The current study showed that with all the predictors being similar, %neutrophils were significantly associated with increased DME risk, and %lymphocytes were significantly associated with reduced DME risk. There is a higher likelihood for females to develop DME.

" A predictive accuracy of 82.46% was observed in the model we established," they wrote. "In addition, an imbalance of the immune system plays a critical role in the DME pathogenesis, and it will become a prime target for treating diabetic macular edema in the future."

Reference:

Zhu Y, Xu M, Li J, Li J, Li L, Zhou Y, Song Y, Cai Q. Peripheral white blood cell subtypes and the development/progression of diabetic macular edema in type 2 diabetic patients: a comparative study. Ann Palliat Med 2022;11(9):2887-2896. doi: 10.21037/apm-22-962