Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Quantification of Diabetes-induced Adherent Leukocytes in Retinal Vasculature
Published on: January 24, 2025
Lipoprotein (a) as a predictor of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review
Mohammad Sadra Gholami Chahkand1, Fatemeh Esmaeilpour Moallem2, Abolfazl Qezelgachi3
1Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Background:
Lipoprotein a (LP(a)), an LDL-like lipoprotein, known as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, has a controversial association with diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes-the current systematic review aimed to critically assess the association between LP(a) and diabetic retinopathy.
Methods:
A systematic review of relevant studies was conducted after a thorough search in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar electronic databases. We used English observational, case-control, and prospective cohort studies published up to August 2022, including type 2 diabetic patients as the population, diabetic retinopathy as the outcome, and LP(a) as the intervention.
Result:
17 relevant studies, including 4688 patients with diabetes, were included in this systematic review. While in 13 studies, Lipoprotein(a) was recognized as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy, only three studies reported no evidence of a relationship between the two. Also, another study showed a mixed outcome of the relationship between LP(a) and diabetic retinopathy.
Conclusion:
High serum lipoprotein(a) in patients with type 2 diabetes is considered a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy. However, further large-scaled cohort studies are still required to validate this finding.
Related Concept Videos
Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System III: Serum Lipid Profile
Serum lipids are fats and fatty substances in the blood and are crucial for various bodily functions, including energy storage, cellular structure, and hormone production. Serum lipids consist of cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids.
Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like substance found in all body cells. It is crucial for producing hormones, vitamin D, and substances that aid...
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Starch accounts for approximately 60% of the carbohydrates consumed by humans. Since amylase enzymes cannot function in the stomach's acidic environment, starch can only be digested in the mouth and small intestine. Simple sugars are found naturally in milk and fruits in...

