Correlation between diabetic retinopathy and Helicobacter pylori infection: a cross-sectional retrospective study

AIM:To explore the correlation between diabetic retinopathy(DR)and Helicobacter pylori(Hp)infection,based on data from a physical examination population.METHODS:This cross-sectional retrospective analysis included data of 73824 health examination participants from December 2018 to December 2019.Participants were divided into the diabetic group and non-diabetic group,nondiabetic retinopathy(NDR)group,non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)group,proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)group,and Hp infection group.Gender,age,body mass index(BMI),systolic blood pressure(SBP),diastolic blood pressure(DBP),fasting plasma glucose(FPG),glycated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c),triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),and Hp data were recorded to compare the degree of DR lesions and Hp infection.Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between DR and Hp infection.RESULTS:There was a statistically significant difference between the diabetic and non-diabetic group(χ2=94.17,P<0.0001).Logistic regression analysis showed that male sex,age,BMI,SBP,TG,LDL-C,and Hp infection were independent risk factors for DR.There was no correlation between the degree of DR lesions and Hp infection(ρ=-0.00339,P=0.7753).Age[odds ratio(OR)=1.035,95%CI:1.024,1.046,P<0.0001]and SBP(OR=1.009,95%CI:1.004,1.015,P=0.0013)were independent risk factors for the degree of DR.CONCLUSION:There is a significant correlation between DR and Hp infection in the physical examination population.Hp infection is a risk factor for DR,and there is no significant difference between Hp infection and DR of different pathological degrees.Actively eradicating Hp may be of help to prevent DR.