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TL;DR
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 case-control studies found that circulating malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly higher in people with diabetic retinopathy compared to those with diabetes but without retinopathy.
Chinese Medical Journal · 5 authors, 1 centre
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This systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 case-control studies found that circulating malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly higher in people with diabetic retinopathy compared to those with diabetes but without retinopathy.
This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 case-control studies comparing circulating malondialdehyde (MDA) levels between 1680 people with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and 1799 people with diabetes but without DR. The pooled analysis using a random-effects model showed that circulating MDA levels were significantly higher in people with DR compared to those without DR, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.897 (95% CI 0.631 to 1.162; P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses did not identify significant differences based on sex, age, duration of diabetes, or DR type (non-proliferative vs. proliferative). High heterogeneity was observed across studies, which may be partly explained by differences in study size and MDA assay methods, particularly the lack of specificity in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assays. The study concludes that circulating MDA levels are elevated in DR but notes the finding is debatable due to marked heterogeneity and the observational nature of the included studies.