title: Comparison of blood protein levels between diabetic and non-diabetic patients with retinopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare serum protein levels between diabetic and non-diabetic patients with retinopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ziauddin Medical University and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan, from 2000 to 2002.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients were selected. Among them, 21 were diabetic patients without any clinical evidence of chronic diabetic complications; 20 were diabetic patients with retinopathy and 19 were non-diabetic patients with retinopathy. Twenty-one apparently normal, age, gender and weight-matched control subjects were also inducted. All these patients were selected on clinical grounds. Blood values, fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, serum fructosamine, glycosylated plasma protein, hexosamine, sialic acid and total serum proteins were determined and compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fasting plasma glucose was high in all diabetic patients and correlated significantly with glycosylated hemoglobin, glycosylated plasma proteins and serum fructosamine concentrations. Fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, glycosylated plasma proteins, serum fructosamine, sialic acid, hexosamine and total serum protein were increased in diabetic patients with retinopathy and diabetic patients without any complications. These values were not different in diabetic patients with retinopathy and diabetic patients without chronic complications as compared with control subjects. Alpha-1 and alpha-2 globulins were significantly increased in diabetic patients with retinopathy, diabetic patients without complications and non-diabetic patients with retinopathy as compared with control subjects. Beta globulin was significantly increased in diabetic patients with retinopathy as compared with non-diabetic patients with retinopathy, diabetic patients without complication and control subjects. Gamma globulin was significantly decreased in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with retinopathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, glycosylated plasma proteins, serum fructosamine, sialic acid, hexosamine and total serum protein were increased in diabetic patients with and without complications but these parameters remained within normal limits in non-diabetic patients with retinopathy. The decrease in gamma globulins may be associated with a retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan. anjummurtaza@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Anjuman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: M Ataur
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rahman
mesh_terms: D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D019270:Fructosamine / Q000097:blood; D006595:Hexosamines / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000097:blood; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D006595:Hexosamines; D019270:Fructosamine; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid