Association of monocyte-lymphocyte ratio and proliferative diabetic retinopathy in the U.S. population with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Diabetic retinopathy (DR), especially proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a common cause of blindness and visual impairment. Early prediction of its occurrence and progression is important to improved patient outcomes. Inflammation-related markers may play important roles, and the monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) can act as a novel inflammatory marker. However, the association between MLR and PDR remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between MLR and PDR in the U.S. population with type 2 diabetes (T2D) based on DR data from NHANES in 2005–2008. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2008. DR was defined by the criteria of the Early Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy Study based on nonmydriatic fundus photography. The MLR is the monocyte count/lymphocyte count. The lymphocyte count and monocyte count can be obtained directly from laboratory data files. Logistic regression was used to explore the association between MLR and PDR. Stratified analyses were also conducted according to age, sex, hemoglobin, and glycated hemoglobin categories. We applied the duration of diabetes with multiple imputations of missing data. RESULTS: A total of 367 participants were included, among whom the PDR prevalence was 7% (27/367). Multivariate regression models revealed that PDR was significantly associated with 0.1 unit increase in MLR (adjusted OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.08−1.96) after all covariates were adjusted. In the subgroup analysis, effect size of MLR on the presence of PDR in subgroups were stable (all P values > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MLR was significantly associated with PDR in participants with T2D. Assessing the MLR might be a valuable part of follow-up visits for patients with T2D. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03425-4.