Is Abdominal Obesity Associated with Diabetic Retinopathy in Chinese individuals: An Exploratory Study

Aim: To our knowledge, the independent associations of abdominal obesity (defined by waist circumference or waist hip ratio) with diabetic retinopathy (DR) remain unknown in Chinese individuals to date. Methods: This study included two sets. Firstly, relationship between waist circumference (WC) or waist hip ratio (WHR) and DR was estimated in a case-control set (DR vs. non-DR) for the whole population before and after propensity-score matching (PSM). Subsequently, the accumulated evidence was explored to validate the relationship. Results: Among 511 eligible patients, DR(N=156) and non-DR(N=156) patients who had similar propensity scores were included in the PSM analyses. Abdominal obesity (defined by waist circumference) was associated with risk of diabetic retinopathy (OR: 1.07(1.03-1.10)). Accumulated analysis of abdominal obesity on diabetic retinopathy showed that risk of DR might rise by 12% (OR 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.22). Further accumulated evidences showed a significant association between continuous body mass index (BMI) and risk of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (OR=0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.98; P=.002; I2=50%). Conclusions: Abdominal obesity, especially defined by waist circumference, is associated with the risk of diabetic retinopathy in Chinese population. Disclosure J. Zhou: None. J. Yuan: None. Y. Cai: None. L. Shu: None. J. Yang: None. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China (81870556, 81670738); Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospital`s Youth Programme (QML20170204)