C-reactive protein as a biomarker for diabetic retinopathy: Insights from a tertiary referral hospital in India

: High blood glucose levels in diabetes mellitus (DM) may damage the eyes and cause diabetic retinopathy leading to blindness. Diabetes retinopathy (DR) evolves from NPDR to PDR during the disease course. CRP and other inflammatory mediators can serve as markers for early DR identification. : To study C- reactive protein (CRP) as a potential biomarker for diabetic retinopathy and its severity in diabetic population. : An observational prospective study was performed from October 2020 to October 2022 at a tertiary care referral centre in western India. We enrolled 115 type 2 diabetics with any grade of diabetic retinopathy. Apart from thorough ophthalmological examination, CRP levels were measured using a particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay. Data analysis was done using SPSS 26.0, with a p<0.05 considered as significant for this study. Results CRP was positive in 15.7% subjects. There were no significant gender or age differences between CRP positive and negative groups, with an average age of 56.82 ± 9.26 years. Most patients (69.6%) had uncontrolled diabetes and used medication. High CRP was strongly linked to high FBS, PP2BS, and HbA1c. Positive CRP was linked to increased PDR rates, showing a relationship between CRP and DR severity. : CRP levels are connected to high blood sugar and HbA1c, however few diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients have higher levels. DR screening cannot be done using CRP alone. Further study with bigger samples is required to validate these results and develop other inflammatory indicators for early DR identification and treatment.