Association of serum lipid profile and other systemic risk factors with retinal hard exudates in diabetic retinopathy

Abstract Purpose Diabetic macular edema is one of the leading causes of vision loss across the world. Hard exudates at the macula can lead to structural abnormalities in the retina leading to irreversible vision loss. Systemic dyslipidemia and other modifiable risk factors when identified and treated early may help prevent substantial vision loss. The purpose of this study was to study the association between serum lipid levels and other systemic risk factors like hemoglobin, HbA1c, and serum creatinine with hard exudates and macular edema in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Methods It is a prospective cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary health care center in South India. 96 patients having diabetic retinopathy with hard exudates were included. Modified Airlie house classification was used to grade the hard exudates. Blood investigations including serum lipid profile, hemoglobin, HbA1c, and serum creatinine were carried out. Central subfield macular thickness was measured using optical coherence tomography. Results 96 patients of type II DM with diabetic retinopathy were divided into three groups of hard exudates. A statistically significant correlation was observed between the severity of hard exudates and total cholesterol (p = 0.00), triglycerides (p = 0.00), LDL (p = 0.00), and VLDL (p = 0.00). HbA1c levels showed a statistically significant correlation with the severity of hard exudates (p = 0.09), no significant correlation was noted between hard exudates and hemoglobin levels (p = 0.27) and with serum creatinine (p = 0.612). A statistically significant association between CSMT and hard exudates (p = 0.00) was noted. Conclusion In our study, we concluded that the severity of hard exudates is significantly associated with increasing levels of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, and HbA1c levels in type II DM patients presenting with diabetic retinopathy. The increasing duration of diabetes is significantly associated with increasing severity of hard exudates. Central subfield macular thickness increases with increasing severity of hard exudates in diabetic retinopathy.