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The relationship between the diabetic retinopathy and the changes of erythrocyte deformability,erythrocyte membrane phospholipid and spectrin

Objective To explore the relationship between the diabetic retinopathy (DR) and the changes of erythrocyte deformability(ED),erythrocyte membrane phospholipid and spectrin. Methods One hundred and eight patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus were divided into DR group(55 cases)and nonDR(NDR)group(53 cases).The changes of erythrocyte filtration index(EFI),erythrocyte membrane phospholipid and spectrin dimers(SP-D)and spectrin tetramers (SP-T)were measured in patients of DR and NDR groups and compared with the results of 53 cases of normal control group. Results The EFI,SP-D, SP-D/SP-T,sphingomyelin (SM) /phophatidylcholine(PC)were higher,and SPT,SM,PC,phophatidylserine(PS)and phatidylethanolamine(PE)were lower in patients with DR than those in control and NDR patients (F=8.467～18.925,q=6.845～12.627,Plt;0.001).The changes of all indicators in proliferative DR(PDR) patients were more obvious than those in background DR(BDR) patients(t=5,825-15.443,Plt;0.001).The EFI in DR patients was positively correlated to SM/PC,SP-D and SP-D/SP-T(Plt;0.01)，negatively correlated to SM,PC,PE,PS and SP-T(Plt;0.01). Conclusions The decrease of ED caused by the abnormalities of erythrocyte membrane phospholipid and spectrin might participate in the occurance and development of DR,and correlated to the degree of pathologic changes. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 1999, 15: 160-162)