A1/A2 polymorphism of the glycoprotein IIIa gene and diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes

• Published in: Clinical & experimental ophthalmology 2011-09, Vol.39 (7), p.665-672
• Main Authors: Nikolajevic-Starcevic, Jovana, Petrovic, Mojca Globocnik, Petrovic, Daniel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Alleles; Biochemical analysis; Blood; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Case-Control Studies; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Confidence intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - genetics; Diabetic retinopathy; Diabetic Retinopathy - blood; Diabetic Retinopathy - genetics; European Continental Ancestry Group - genetics; Eye; Fasting; Female; Gene polymorphism; genetic risk factor; Genotype; Glucose; Glycated Hemoglobin A - metabolism; glycoprotein IIIa PlA1/A2 polymorphism; Glycoproteins; Heart attacks; Humans; Insulin; Integrin beta3 - genetics; Lipoproteins; Male; Middle Aged; Myocardial infarction; Ophthalmology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide - genetics; Restriction fragment length polymorphism; Retinopathy; Risk Factors; Stroke; Thrombosis; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - blood
• ISSN: 1442-6404; 1442-9071
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2011.02520.x

Background:  A PlA1/A2 polymorphism of glycoprotein IIIa is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of arterial thrombosis, myocardial infarction, stroke and type 2 diabetes, but there is no evidence of association with diabetic retinopathy. The aim of this study was to examine the role of the PlA1/A2 polymorphism of the glycoprotein IIIa gene in the development of diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes. Design:  Cross‐sectional case–control study. Participants:  Totally 222 patients with diabetic retinopathy and 120 diabetic subjects without clinical signs of diabetic retinopathy from the Eye Clinic, University Medical Centre Ljubljana were enrolled in the study. Methods:  Fundus examination and blood biochemical analysis were performed. The polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism were used. Main Outcome Measures:  The total cholesterol, triglyceride, high‐density lipoprotein levels, fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were measured, and the genotypes of the PlA1/A2 polymorphism were determined. Results:  Patients with diabetic retinopathy had earlier onset, longer duration of type 2 diabetes and a higher incidence of insulin therapy compared to the diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy. A significantly lower frequency of the A2A2 genotype of glycoprotein IIIa was found in diabetic patients with retinopathy compared to those without retinopathy (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.28–0.89; P = 0.018). Conclusions:  The A2A2 genotype of the glycoprotein IIIa polymorphism was associated with lower risk for diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes. Further studies are needed to elucidate its protective role in the development of diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians.