Serum Levels of Vitamin D in Diabetic Patients With and Without Retinopathy

PURPOSE: To evaluate the levels of vitamin D in the serum of diabetic patients with and without diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: Thirty patients with DR and thirty diabetic patients without retinopathy were included in this cross-sectional study. Based on ophthalmic examination, patients with DR were categorized into having non-proliferative retinopathy (NPDR) and proliferative retinopathy (PDR). Patients were tested for fasting blood sugar (FBS), hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25 (OH) D), and creatinine levels in the serum, and for urine protein. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a serum 25 (OH) D level [Formula: see text] 20 ng/mL. RESULTS: We found that all diabetic patients had mild vitamin D deficiency (serum 25 (OH) D level = 10–20 ng/mL). The mean serum 25 (OH) D concentration in patients with DR was lower than in those without DR (12.10 [Formula: see text] 14.62 ng/mL vs 15.61 [Formula: see text] 9.40 ng/mL, respectively, P = 0.012). Trace or more proteinuria was frequently present in patients with DR than in those without DR (56% in DR vs 30% in non-DR; P = 0.037). There were no significant differences in the FBS, HbA1C, and serum creatinine levels between patients with or without retinopathy. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that patients with DR had lower levels of serum vitamin D compared with those without retinopathy.