Role of Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Hyperhomocysteinemia in Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most important causes of preventable visual impairment among patients of working age and leading cause of blindness. Deficiency of vitamin B12 and folate has been associated with increased serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels. This study was done to find out the role of vitamin B12 and Hyperhomocysteine (HHcy) in Diabetic retinopathy. The present study is a hospital-based case-control study conducted during over a period of 12 months from January 2019 to December 2019 study conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology at BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh consisting of 100 Type 2 DM patients either with or without retinopathy (DR, n=50 and DNR, n=50, respectively). Subjects with Type 2 DM with and without retinopathy were recruited from patients attending in the department of Ophthalmology at BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka and were matched for duration of diabetes. Diabetes subjects on nutritional supplements for the last 6 months and those with a history of nephropathy (based standard renal function tests) and complications other than DR were excluded. Homocysteine (Hcy) levels were inversely related (p<0.05) with Diabetes patients with retinopathy. Vitamin B12 also significant correlated with Diabetes patients with retinopathy. A statistically significant negative linear relationship was found between serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 levels (Pearson r = -0.918, p=0.001) Diabetes patients with retinopathy. Vitamin B12 significantly correlated with diabetes retinopathy and homocysteine levels were inversely related with diabetes patients with retinopathy.