Tariq Mahmood Arain, Mohammad Fayyaz, Saleha Zafar.
Glycosaminoglycans (GAG) as a Marker of Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
Ophthalmol Update Jan ;13(3):240-2.

Purpose: We studied the association of diabetic retinopathy with Glycosaminoglycans (GAG?s) concentration in tears of patients of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: Our study comprised 482 Type 2 diabetic out patients who were free of diagnosed hyperlipidemia at baseline. Retinal findings were classified based on fundoscopy (by a single ophthalmologist) to categories of no diabetic retinopathy, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Outcomes measures were concentration of GAG?s in tears of patients with good glycemic control and poor glycemic control. Results: During 6 months of study duration, 482 participants with type 2 DM were undergone for fundus examination, after adjustment for age, body mass index, lipids profile, glycated haemoglobin and diabetes duration. Patients with poor glycemic control had a greater risk of retinopathic changes than those with good glycemic control. The mean concentration of GAGs in patients with NPDR is lower than those presenting PDR, but the difference is not statistically significant (p=0.489) Conclusion: Diabetic retinopathy (especially in its more advanced stages) is associated with an increased concentration of GAG?s in tears of patients with poorly controlled DM in patients of type 2 DM.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com