Assessment and Significance of RBC-Sorbitol Level on Diabetic Retinopathy

Ji, Jun Young; Lee, Jong Hong; Chang, Moo Hwan

Abstract

The intracellular accumulation of sorbitol, a product, which arises from polyol pathway: one of glucose metabolic pathways, has been said to be one of the pathogens for diabetic retinopathy. So, to obtain fundamental data regarding the time of administratin as well as the dosage of aldose reductase inhibitor(ARI) which inhibits the formation of sorbitol, we examined the interrelationship between RBC-sorbitol and glucose, HbAlc, and the association of RBC-Sorbitol with the severity of diabetic retinopathy in fifty NIDDM patients(20 No diabetic retinopathy, 10 mild NPDR, 10 sever NPDR, 10 PDR). In results, there was no association between RBC-sorbitol and glucose(r=0.172), between RBC-sorbitol and HbAlC(r=0.262), also there was no discernible RBC-Sorbitol level in each degree of diabetic retinopathic severity (F`=0.67, p>0.05), and wide variation of RBC-sorbitol level in each diabetic patients. Thus, for the progression of diabetic retinopathy, the duration time of high sorbitol level was predicted to be of more important value than the sorbitol level at the time of diagnosis. Therefore, we have shown through the research that ARI needs to be administered early on when RBC-Sorbitol level is higher than normal and in terms of ARI dosage, administering differenct ARI dosage according to different sorbitol level of each patient will be more effective for prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.