title: A comparison of the levels of hepatocyte growth factor in serum in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus with different stages of diabetic retinopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the blood concentration of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in patients at various stages of retinopathy. We hypothesised that the high level of HGF found in diabetic patients may be an important marker of retinopathy progression and that HGF level may be an index of the risk of proliferative retinopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants in the study were 76 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Of these, 35 patients were without retinopathy and formed Group 1. Of the remaining 41 patients with retinopathy, 20 patients had non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and formed Group 2, while 21 patients had proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and formed Group 3. We evaluated the concentration of HGF In the peripheral blood by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean serum concentrations of HGF in the control group were significantly lower than in the type 1 diabetic patients. We found a significant increase in HGF serum concentrations in diabetic patients with PDR compared with the control group. Mean serum HGF concentrations were significantly higher in diabetic subjects with PDR than in diabetic patients without retinopathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HGF concentration is increased in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus with proliferative retinopathy, and concentrations increase with the progression of retinopathy, suggesting that HGF plays a role in the pathogenesis of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland. nowak-mar@wp.pl
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wielkoszyński
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marek
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kos-Kudła
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Swietochowska
authors.forename: Lucyna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Siemińska
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kajdaniuk
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Głogowska-Szelag
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nowak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor