Cystatin C shows potential value as biomarker for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy
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Circulating cystatin C, a protein encoded by the CST3 gene, could potentially be used as a biomarker to identify patients with type 2 diabetes at risk for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy.
In a multicenter study conducted in three outpatient ophthalmology clinics in the United Kingdom and two centers in India, 13 previously verified circulating biomarkers for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (DR) were evaluated. Five hundred thirty-eight participants, approximately half from the U.K. and half from India, were included, and 629 blood samples were collected. Weighted logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified biomarkers that discriminate sight-threatening DR from no DR.
Significant differences in biomarker values were found between the U.K. and India. However, cystatin C showed good discrimination power in the study cohorts of both countries, outperforming the 12 other biomarkers.
The authors noted that timely identification and prompt treatment of DR are critical to reduce the risk for vision loss. Regular screening through retinal imaging is recommended but is too big a challenge in low- and middle-income countries, where diabetes prevalence is highest.
Circulating biomarkers could be a cost-effective strategy for early identification and triaging of patients at risk for sight-threatening DR.
“In such low-resource settings, prescreening models with cystatin C may potentially be used to identify those who need prioritization for retinal screening,” the authors wrote.
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