Abstract

BACKGROUND
Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of adult blindness. Some patients show early development and progression of diabetic retinopathy despite of apparently good glycemic control. This is suggesting the involvement of other contributing factors. Recent studies have shown that retinopathy and GAD autoantibody (GADA) show an inverse relationship immunologically. This study is designed to investigate the clinical manifestation of diabetes who are positive for GADA and the relationship between GADA and diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Type 1 diabetic patients & LADA patients who had visited Yeungnam university Medical Center from 1988 to 2005 were involved. We reviewed the pathologic and laboratory records of these patients and investigated the development of diabetic microvascular complications. RESULTS: Compared with patients who had GADA negative diabetes, patients with GADA positive diabetes had lower prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (GADA negative subject: 25.8% vs. GADA positive subject: 9.6%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We confirmed that diabetic retinopathy and GADA showed an inverse relationship. It seems quite probable that GADA may contribute to the prevention of retinopathy. Further research should be needed concerning the effect of GADA on diabetic retinopathy.

• Keywords: Diabetic retinopathy;GAD autoantibody;Late autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA);Type 1 diabetes