The correlation between serum albumin and diabetic retinopathy among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus: NHANES 2011-2020

Objectives The objective of this research aimed to investigate the correlation involving serum albumin with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods From 2011 to 2020, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) surveyed 45462 participants. We used the relevant data to conduct descriptive statistics, linear regression, and Logistic regression analysis. Results After adjusting for age, sex, and race, as well as all other variables, serum albumin was significantly negatively related to DR (P<0.001). Furthermore, after controlling for confounding factors, the third quartile (Q3) and the fourth quartile (Q4) had quite a negative significant relationship with the incidence of DR (P<0.01). The second quartile had a significant positive correlation with DR, whereas the observed negative correlations were not statistically meaningful (P>0.05). Conclusion Albumin levels in the serum have a quantitatively significant negative correlation with DR. Serum albumin levels in the blood can be used as a reference point for protracted follow-up of people with T2DM.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum albumin and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The results showed a significant negative correlation between serum albumin levels and DR, suggesting that serum albumin levels can be used as a reference point for long-term follow-up of patients with T2DM.